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GULLIVER'S  TRAVELS 

INTO  SOME  REMOTE  REGIONS  OF 
THE  WORLD 

BY 

JONATHAN   SWIFT,   D.D. 

WITH  SEVENTY  ILLUSTRATIONS 


New  York 
MANHATTAN  PRESS 

476  WEST  BROADWAY 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2012  with  funding  from 

University  of  North  Carolina  at  Chapel  Hill 


http://archive.org/details/gulliverstravelsOOswi 


"%fc«jiSfc*65S 


CHAPTER  I 


The  Author  gives  some  Account  of  himself  and  Family  —  His  First 
Inducements  to  travel  —  He  is  shipwrecked,  and  swims  for  his  Life 
—  Gets  safe  on  Shore  in  the  Country  of  Lilliput  —  Is  made  a  Prisoner, 
and  carried  up  the  Country. 

My  father  had  a  small  estate  in  Nottinghamshire, 
England:  I  was  the  third  of  four  sons.  He  sent  me 
to  college  in  Cambridge  at  fourteen  years  old,  and  after 
studying  there  three  years,  I  was  bound  apprentice  to 
Mr.  Bates,  a  famous  surgeon  in  London,  with  whom  I 
continued  four  years.  My  father  now  and  then  sending 
me  small  sums  of  money,  I  spent  them  in  learning  navi- 
gation, and  other  parts  of  the  mathematics  useful  to  those 
who  intend  to  travel,  as  I  always  believed  it  would  be, 

7 


8  gulliver's  travels 

some  time  or  other,  my  fortune  to  do.  When  I  left  Mr. 
Bates,  I  went  down  to  my  father,  where,  by  the  assistance 
of  him  and  my  uncle  and  some  other  relations,  I  got  forty 
pounds,  and  a  promise  of  thirty  pounds  a  year,  to  main- 
tain me  at  Leyden.  There  I  studied  physic  two  years 
and  seven  months,  knowing  it  would  be  useful  in  long 
voyages. 

Soon  after  my  return  from  Leyden,  I  was  recommended 
by  Mr.  Bates,  to  be  surgeon  to  the  Swallow,  Captain 
Abraham  Pannell,  commander ;  with  whom  I  continued 
three  years  and  a  half,  making  a  voyage  or  two  into  the 
Levant,  and  some  other  parts.  When  I  came  back  I 
resolved  to  settle  in  London ;  to  which  Mr.  Bates,  en- 
couraged me ;  and  by  him  I  was  recommended  to  several 
patients.  I  took  part  of  a  small  house  in  the  Old  Jewry, 
and  married  Mary  Burton,  with  whom  I  received  four 
hundred  pounds  for  a  portion. 

But  my  good  master  Bates  died  two  years  after,  and  I 
having  few  friends,  my  business  began  to  fail.  So  I 
determined  to  go  again  to  sea.  I  was  surgeon  succes- 
sively in  two  ships,  and  made  several  voyages,  for  six 
years,  to  the  East  and  West  Indies,  by  which  I  got  some 
addition  to  my  fortune.  My  hours  of  leisure  I  spent  in 
reading  the  best  authors,  ancient  and  modern  ;  and  when 
a-shore,  I  observed  the  manners  and  dispositions  of  the 
people,  and  learned  their  language. 

The  last  of  these  voyages  not  proving  fortunate,  I 
grew  weary  of  the  sea,  and  intended  to  stay  at  home 
with  my  wife  and  family.  I  removed  from  the  Old  Jewry 
to  Wapping,  hoping  to  get  business  among  the  sailors ; 


A  VOYAGE  TO   LILLIPUT  9 

but  it  would  not  turn  to  account.  After  three  years, 
things  not  mending,  I  accepted  an  offer  from  Captain 
William  Prichard,  master  of  the  Antelope,  who  was 
making  a  voyage  to  the  South  Sea.1  We  set  sail  from 
Bristol,  May  4,  1699,  and  our  voyage  at  first  was  very 
prosperous. 

In  our  passage  to  the  East  Indies,  we  were  driven  by 
a  violent  storm  to  the  northwest  of  Van  Diemen's  Land. 
Twelve  of  our  crew  died  from  hard  labor  and  ill-food  : 
the  rest  were  in  a  very  weak  condition.  On  November 
5th,  which  was  the  beginning  of  summer  in  those  parts, 
the  weather  being  very  hazy,  the  seamen  spied  a  rock 
within  half  a  cable's  length  of  the  ship  ;  but  the  wind 
was  so  strong,  that  we  were  driven  straight  upon  it,  and 
immediately  split.  Six  of  the  crew,  of  whom  I  was 
one,  having  let  down  the  boat  into  the  sea,  made  a  shift 
to  get  clear  of  the  ship  and  the  rock.  We  rowed  about 
three  leagues,  till  we  were  able  to  work  no  longer,  being 
already  spent  with  labor  while  we  were  in  the  ship. 
We,  therefore,  trusted  ourselves  to  the  mercy  of  the 
waves  ;  and  in  about  half  an  hour  the  boat  was  overset 
by  a  sudden  flurry  from  the  north.  What  became  of  my 
companions  in  the  boat,  as  well  as  of  those  who  escaped 
on  the  rock,  or  were  left  in  the  vessel,  I  cannot  tell,  but 
conclude  they  were  all  lost.  For  my  own  part,  I  swam 
as  fortune  directed  me,  and  was  pushed  forward  by 
wind  and  tide.  I  often  let  my  legs  drop,  and  could  feel 
no  bottom  ;  but  when  I  was  able  to  struggle  no  longer, 

1  This  was  formerly  the  usual  name  of  the  Pacifio  Ocean,  or  of  the 
southern  portion  of  it. 


10  GULLIVER'S  TRAVELS 

I  found  myself  within  my  depth.  By  this  time  the 
storm  was  much  abated.  I  reached  the  shore  about 
eight  o'clock  in  the  evening,  and  then  advanced  near 
half  a  mile,  but  could  not  discover  any  sign  of  houses 
or  inhabitants.  I  was  extremely  tired  ;  and  with  that, 
and  the  heat  of  the  weather,  and  about  half  a  pint  of 
brandy  that  I  drank  as  I  left  the  ship,  I  found  myself 
much  inclined  to  sleep.  I  lay  down  on  the  grass,  which 
was  very  short  and  soft,  where  I  slept  sounder  than  I 
ever  did  in  my  life,  for  above  nine  hours.  When  I 
woke  it  was  just  daylight.  I  attempted  to  rise,  but 
was  not  able  to  stir  ;  for  as  I  happened  to  lie  on  my 
back,  I  found  my  arms  and  legs  were  strongly  fastened 
on  each  side  to  the  ground,  and  my  hair,  which  was 
long  and  thick,  tied  down  in  the  same  manner.  I  felt 
several  slender  ligatures  across  my  body,  from  my  arm- 
pits to  my  thighs.  I  could  only  look  upwards;  the 
sun  began  to  grow  hot,  and  hurt  my  eyes.  I  heard  a  con- 
fused noise  about  me,  but  could  see  nothing  except  the 
sky.  In  a  little  time  I  felt  something  alive  moving  on 
my  left  leg,  which,  advancing  gently  forward  over  my 
breast,  came  almost  up  to  my  chin  ;  when,  bending  my 
eyes  downwards  as  much  as  I  could,  I  perceived  it  to  be 
a  human  creature  not  six  inches  high,  with  a  bow  and 
arrow  in  his  hands,  and  a  quiver  at  his  back.  In  the 
meantime,  I  felt  at  least  forty  more  of  the  same  kind 
following  the  first.  I  was  in  the  utmost  astonishment, 
and  roared  so  loud,  that  they  all  ran  back  in  a  fright  ; 
and  some  of  them,  as  I  was  afterwards  told,  were  hurt 
with  the  falls  they  got  by  leaping  from  my  sides  upon 


12  Gulliver's  travels 

the  ground,  However,  they  soon  returned  ;  and  one 
of  them,  who  ventured  so  far  as  to  get  a  full  sight  of  my 
face,  lifted  up  his  hands  and  eyes  by  way  of  admiration. 
I  lay  all  this  while  in  great  uneasiness  ;  but  at  length, 
struggling  to  get  loose,  I  succeeded  in  breaking  the 
strings  that  fastened  my  left  arm  to  the  ground  ;  and, 
at  the  same  time,  with  a  violent  pull,  which  gave  me 
extreme  pain,  I  loosened  the  strings  that  tied  down  my 
hair  on  the  left  side,  so  that  I  was  just  able  to  turn  my 
head  about  two  inches.  But  the  creatures  ran  off  a  second 
time,  before  I  could  seize  them  ;  whereupon  there  was 
a  great  shout,  and,  in  an  instant,  I  felt  above  an  hun- 
dred arrows  discharged  on  my  left  hand,  which  pricked 
me  like  so  many  needles.  Moreover  they  shot  another 
flight  into  the  air,  as  we  do  bombs  in  Europe,  whereof 
many  fell  on  my  body,  and  some  on  my  face,  which  I 
immediately  covered  with  my  left  hand.  When  this 
shower  of  arrows  was  over,  I  groaned  with  grief  and 
pain  ;  and  then,  striving  again  to  get  loose,  they  dis- 
charged another  volley,  larger  than  the  first,  and  some 
of  them  attempted,  with  spears,  to  stick  me  in  the  sides  ; 
but,  by  good  luck,  I  had  on  me  a  buff  jerkin,  which 
they  could  not  pierce.  I  thought  it  the  most  prudent 
method  to  lie  still ;  and  my  design  was  to  continue  so 
till  night,  when,  my  left  hand  being  loose,  I  could  easily 
free  myself  :  and  as  for  the  inhabitants,  I  thought  I 
might  be  a  match  for  the  greatest  armies  they  could 
bring  against  me,  if  they  were  all  of  the  same  size  with 
him  that  I  saw.  But  fortune  disposed  otherwise  of  me. 
When  the  people  observed  I  was  quiet,  they  discharged 


irffW 


A  VOYAGE  TO   LILLIPUT  13 

no  more  arrows  ;  but,  by  the  noise  I  beard  I  knew  their 
numbers  increased  :  and  about  four  yards  from  me, 
over-against  my  right  ear,  I  heard  a  knocking  for  above 
an  hour,  like  that  of  people  at  work  ;  when,  turning 
my  head  that  way,  as  well  as  the  pegs  and  strings  would 
permit  me,  I  saw  a  stage  erected  about  a  foot  and  a  half 
from  the  ground,  capable  of  holding  four  of  the  inhabi- 
tants, with  two  or  three  ladders  to  mount  it.  From  this 
one  of  them,  who  seemed  to  be  a  person  of  quality,  made 
me  a  long  speech,  of  which  I  could  not  understand  a  syl- 
lable, though  I  could  tell  from  his  manner  that  he  some- 
times threatened  me,  and  sometimes  spoke  with  pity  and 
kindness.  I  answered  in  a  few  words,  but  in  a  most  sub- 
missive manner,  lifting  up  my  left  hand  and  both  my 
eyes  to  the  sun,  as  calling  him  for  a  witness  :  and  being 
almost  famished  with  hunger,  I  could  not  help  putting 
my  finger  frequently  on  my  mouth,  to  signify  that  I 
wanted  food.  He  understood  me  very  well,  and  de- 
scending from  the  stage,  commanded  that  several  ladders 
should  be  applied  to  my  sides,  on  which  more  than  a  hun- 
dred of  the  inhabitants  mounted,  and  walked  towards  my 
mouth,  laden  with  baskets  full  of  meat,  which  had  been 
sent  by  the  king's  orders,  when  he  first  received  tidings 
of  me.  I  observed  there  was  the  flesh  of  several  animals, 
but  could  not  distinguish  them  by  the  taste.  There 
were  shoulders,  legs,  and  loins,  shaped  like  those  of  mut- 
ton, and  very  well  dressed,  but  smaller  than  the  wings  of 
a  lark.  late  them  two  or  three  at  a  mouthful,  and  took 
three  loaves  at  a  time.  They  supplied  me  as  fast  as 
they  could,  with  a  thousand  marks  of  wonder  and  as- 


14  Gulliver's  travels 

tonishment  at  my  bulk  and  appetite.  I  then  made 
another  sign,  that  I  wanted  drink.  They  found  by  my 
eating  that  a  small  quantity  would  not  suffice  me  ;  and, 
being  a  most  ingenious  people,  they  slung  up,  with 


great  dexterity,  one  of  their  largest  hogsheads,  then 
rolled  it  towards  my  hand,  and  beat  out  the  top.  I 
drank  it  off  at  a  draught,  for  it  did  not  hold  half  a  pint, 
and  tasted  like  a  weak  wine  of  Burgundy,  but  much 
more  delicious.     Thej^  brought  me  a  second  hogshead, 


r         X  VOYAGE   TO   LILLIPUT  15 

which  I  drank  in  the  same  manner,  and  made  signs  for 
more ;  but  they  had  none  to  give  me.  When  I  had  per- 
formed these  wonders,  they  shouted  for  joy,  and  danced 
upon  my  breast.  I  was  often  tempted,  while  they  were 
passing  backwards  and  forwards  on  my  body,  to  seize 
forty  or  fifty  of  the  first  that  came  in  my  reach,  and 
dash  them  against  the  ground.  But  the  remembrance 
of  what  I  had  felt,  which  probably  might  not  be  the  worst 
they  could  do,  and  the  promise  of  honor  I  made  them 
—  for  so  I  interpreted  my  submissive  behavior  —  soon 
drove  out  these  imaginations.  Besides,  I  now  consid- 
ered myself  as  bound  by  the  laws  of  hospitality  to  a 
people  who  had  treated  me  with  so  much  expense  and 
magnificence.  However,  I  could  not  sufficiently  won- 
der at  the  daring  of  these  diminutive  mortals,  who  ven- 
tured to  mount  and  walk  upon  my  body,  while  one  of 
my  hands  was  at  liberty,  without  trembling  at  the  very 
sight  of  so  prodigious  a  creature  as  I  must  appear  to 
them.  After  some  time,  when  they  observed  that  I 
made  no  more  demands  for  meat,  there  appeared  before 
me  a  person  of  high  rank  from  his  imperial  majesty. 
His  excellency,  having  mounted  on  the  small  of  my 
right  leg,  advanced  forwards  up  to  my  face,  with  about 
a  dozen  of  his  retinue  ;  and  producing  his  credentials, 
under  the  signet-royal,  which  he  applied  close  to  my 
eyes,  spoke  about  ten  minutes  without  any  signs  of 
anger,  but  with  a  kind  of  determined  resolution  ;  often 
pointing  forwards  ;  which,  as  I  afterwards  found,  was 
towards  the  capital  city,  about  half  a  mile  distant, 
whither  it  was  agreed  by  his  majesty  in  council  that  I 


16  GULLIVEli's  TliAVELS 

must  be  conveyed.  I  made  a  sign  with  my  hand  that 
was  loose,  putting  it  to  the  other  (but  over  his  excel- 
lency's head,  for  fear  of  hurting  him  or  his  train), 
and  then  to  my  own  head  and  body,  to  show  that  I  de- 
sired my  liberty.  It  appeared  that  he  understood  me 
well  enough,  for  he  shook  his  head,  and  held  his  hand 
in  a  posture  to  show  that  I  must  be  carried  as  a  prisoner. 
However,  he  made  other  signs,  to  let  me  understand 
that  I  should  have  meat  and  drink  enough,  and  very 
good  treatment.  Whereupon,  I  once  more  thought  of 
attempting  to  break  my  bonds  ;  but  again,  when  I  felt 
the  smart  of  their  arrows  upon  my  face  and  hands,  which 
were  all  in  blisters,  and  many  of  the  darts  still  sticking 
in  them,  and  observing  likewise  that  the  number  of  my 
enemies  increased,  I  gave  tokens  to  let  them  know  that 
they  might  do  with  me  what  they  pleased.  Soon  after, 
I  heard  a  general  shout,  and  I  felt  great  numbers  of 
the  people  on  my  left  side,  relaxing  the  cords  to  such 
a  degree  that  I  was  able  to  turn  upon  my  right.  But 
before  this  they  had  daubed  my  face  and  both  my  hands 
with  a  sort  of  ointment,  very  pleasant  to  the  smell, 
which,  in  a  few  minutes,  removed  all  the  smart  of  their 
arrows.  The  relief  from  pain  and  hunger  made  me 
drowsy,  and  presently  I  fell  asleep.  I  slept  about  eight 
hours,  as  I  was  afterwards  assured  ;  and  it  was  no  won- 
der, for  the  physicians,  by  the  emperor's  order,  had 
mingled  a  sleeping  potion  in  the  hogsheads  of  wine. 

It  seems,  that  when  I  was  discovered  sleeping  on  the 
ground,  after  my  landing,  the  emperor  had  early  notice 
of  it  by  an  express,  and  determined  in  council  that  I 


A   VOYAGE   TO   LILLIPUT  17 

should  be  tied  in  the  manner  I  have  related  (which  was 
done  in  the  night,  while  I  slept),  that  plenty  of  meat 
and  drink  should  be  sent  to  me,  and  a  machine  pre- 
pared to  carry  me  to  the  capital  city. 

This  resolution,  perhaps,  may  appear  very  bold  and 
dangerous.  However,  in  my  opinion,  it  was  extremely 
prudent,  as  well  as  generous ;  for  supposing  these  people 
had  endeavored  to  kill  me  with  their  spears  and  arrows 
while  I  was  asleep,  I  should  certainly  have  awakened 
with  the  first  sense  of  smart,  which  might  so  far  have 
roused  my  rage  and  strength,  as  to  have  enabled  me  to 
break  the  strings  wherewith  I  was  tied  ;  after  which, 
as  they  were  not  able  to  make  resistance,  so  they  could 
expect  no  mercy. 

These  people  are  most  excellent  mathematicians,  and 
arrived  to  great  perfection  in  the  art  of  constructing 
machinery  of  all  kinds,  by  the  encouragement  of  the 
emperor,  who  is  a  renowned  patron  of  learning.  This 
prince  has  several  machines  fixed  on  wheels,  for  the 
carriage  of  trees  and  other  great  weights.  He  often 
builds  his  largest  men  of  war,  whereof  some  are  nine 
feet  long,  in  the  woods  where  the  timber  grows,  and 
has  them  carried  on  these  engines,  three  or  four  hun- 
dred yards,  to  the  sea.  Five  hundred  carpenters  and 
engineers  were  immediately  set  at  work  to  prepare  the 
greatest  engine  they  had.  It  was  a  frame  of  wood 
raised  three  inches  from  the  ground,  about  seven  feet 
long,  and  four  wide,  moving  upon  twenty-two  wheels. 
The  shout  I  heard  was  upon  the  arrival  of  this  engine, 
which  set  out  in  four  hours  after  my  landing.     It  was 


18  GULLIVER'S   TRAVELS 

brought  parallel  to  me  as  I  lay.  But  the  principal  diffi- 
culty was  to  raise  and  place  me  in  this  vehicle.  Eighty 
poles,  each  of  one  foot  high,  were  erected  for  this  pur- 
pose, and  very  strong  cords  were  fastened  by  hooks  to 
many  bandages,  which  the  workmen  had  girt  round  my 
neck,  my  hands,  my  body,  and  my  legs.  Nine  hundred  of 
the  strongest  men  were  employed  to  draw  up  these  cords, 
by  many  pulleys  fastened  on  the  poles  ;  and  thus,  in  less 
than  three  hours,  I  was  raised  and  slung  into  the  engine, 
and  there  tied  fast.  All  this  I  was  told  \  for,  while  the 
whole  operation  was  performing,  I  lay  in  a  profound 
sleep,  by  the  force  of  that  medicine  infused  into  my 
liquor.  Fifteen  hundred  of  the  emperor's  largest  horses, 
each  about  four  inches  and  a  half  high,  were  employed 
to  draw  me  towards  the  metropolis,  which  was  half  a 
mile  distant. 

About  four  hours  after  we  began  our  journey,  I  was 
awakened  by  a  very  ridiculous  accident,  the  carriage 
being  stopped  to  adjust  something  that  was  out  of  order, 
two  or  three  of  the  young  natives  had  the  curiosity  to 
see  how  I  looked  when  I  was  asleep  ;  they  climbed  up 
into  the  engine,  and  advancing  very  softly  to  my  face, 
one  of  them,  an  officer  in  the  guards,  put  the  sharp 
end  of  his  half -pike  a  good  way  up  into  my  left  nostril, 
which  tickled  my  nose  like  a  straw,  and  made  me  sneeze 
violently  ;  whereupon  they  stole  off  unperceived,  and  it 
was  three  weeks  before  I  knew  the  cause  of  my  awak- 
ing so  suddenly. 

At  the  place  where  the  carriage  stopped  there  stood 
an  ancient  temple,  supposed  to  be  the  largest  in  the 


A  VOYAGE  TO  LILLIPUT  19 

kingdom  ;  and  here  it  was  determined  that  I  should 
lodge.  The  great  gate  fronting  to  the  north  was  about 
four  feet  high,  and  almost  two  feet  wide,  through  which 
I  could  easily  creep.  On  each  side  of  the  gate  was  a 
small  window*  not  above  six  inches  from  the  ground : 
into  that  on  the  left  side,  the  king's  smiths  conveyed 
fourscore  and  eleven  chains,  like  those  that  hang  to  a 
lady's  watch  in  Europe,  and  almost  as  large,  which 
were  locked  to  my  left  leg  with  six-and-thirty  padlocks. 
Over  against  this  temple  on  the  other  side  of  the  great 
highway,  there  was  a  turret  at  least  five  feet  high. 
Here  the  emperor  ascended,  with  many  principal  lords 
of  his  court,  to  have  an  opportunity  of  viewing  me,  as 
I  was  told,  for  I  could  not  see  them.  It  was  reckoned 
that  above  a  hundred  thousand  inhabitants  came  out  of 
the  town  upon  the  same  errand  ;  and,  in  spite  of  my 
guards,  I  believe  there  could  not  be  fewer  than  ten 
thousand,  at  several  times,  who  mounted  upon  my  body 
by  the  help  of  ladders.  But  a  proclamation  was  issued, 
forbidding  it  upon  pain  of  death.  When  the  workmen 
found  it  was  impossible  for  me  to  break  loose,  they  cut 
all  the  strings  that  bound  me  ;  whereupon  I  rose  up, 
feeling  as  melancholy  as  ever  I  had  in  my  life.  But 
the  noise  and  astonishment  of  the  people,  at  seeing  me 
rise  and  walk,  are  not  to  be  expressed.  The  chains 
that  held  my  left  leg  were  about  two  yards  long,  and 
gave  me  not  only  the  liberty  of  walking  backwards  and 
forwards  in  a  semicircle,  but,  being  fixed  within  four 
inches  of  the  gate,  allowed  me  to  creep  in  and  lie  at  my 
full  length  inside  the  temple. 


CHAPTER  II 

The  Emperor  of  Lilliput,  attended  by  Several  of  the  Nobility,  comes 
to  see  the  Author  in  his  Confinement  —  The  Emperor's  Person 
and  Habit  described  —  Learned  Men  appointed  to  teach  the  Au- 
thor their  Language  —  He  gains  Favor  by  his  Mild  Disposition  — 
His  Pockets  are  searched,  and  his  Sword  and  Pistols  taken  from 
him. 

When  I  found  myself  on  my  feet,  I  looked  about 
me,  and  never  beheld  a  more  entertaining  prospect. 
The  country  round  appeared  like  a  continued  garden, 
and  the  inclosed  fields,  which  were  generally  forty  feet 
square,  resembled  so  many  beds  of  flowers.  These 
fields  were  intermingled  with  woods,  and  the  tallest 
trees  appeared  to  be  seven  feet  high.  I  viewed  the 
town  on  my  left  hand,  which  looked  like  the  painted 
scene  of  a  city  in  a  theater. 

The  emperor  descended  from  the  tower,  and  advanced 
on  horseback  towards  me,  which  had  like  to  have  cost 
him  dear,  for  the  beast,  though  very  well  trained,  yet 
wholly  unused  to  such  a  sight,  which  appeared  as  if  a 
mountain  moved  before  him,  reared  up  on  his  hind  feet ; 
but  that  prince,  who  is  an  excellent  horseman,  kept 
his  seat  until  his  attendants  ran  in  and  held  the  bridle 
while  his  majesty  had  time  to  dismount.  When  he 
alighted  he  surveyed  me  round  with  great  admiration, 
but  kept  beyond  the  length  of  my  chain.  He  ordered 
his  cooks  and  butlers  to  give  me  victuals  and  drink, 

20 


22  Gulliver's  travels 

which  they  pushed  forward  in  vehicles  upon  wheels  till 
I  could  reach  them.  I  took  these  vehicles,  and  soon 
emptied  them  all ;  twenty  of  them  were  filled  with 
meat,  and  ten  with  liquor  ;  each  of  the  former  afforded 
me  two  or  three  good  mouthfuls,  and  I  emptied  the 
liquor  of  ten  vessels,  which  was  contained  in  earthen 
vials,  into  one  vehicle,  drinking  it  off  at  a  draught,  and 
so  I  did  with  the  rest.  The  empress  and  young  princes 
of  the  blood,  of  both  sexes,  attended  by  many  ladies,  sat 
at  some  distance  in  their  chairs,  but  upon  the  accident 
that  happened  to  the  emperor's  horse  they  alighted 
and  came  near  his  person.  He  is  taller  by  almost  the 
breadth  of  my  nail,  than  any  of  his  court,  which  alone 
is  enough  to  strike  an  awe  into  the  beholders.  His 
features  are  strong  and  masculine,  his  complexion  olive, 
his  countenance  erect,  his  body  and  limbs  well  pro- 
portioned, all  his  motions  graceful  and  majestic.  He 
was  then  past  his  prime,  being  twenty-eight  years  and 
three-quarters  old,1  of  which  he  had  reigned  about 
seven  in  great  felicity,  and  generally  victorious.  For 
the  better  convenience  of  beholding  him  I  lay  on  my 
side,  so  that  my  face  was  level  with  his,  and  he  stood 
but  three  yards  off  ;  however,  I  have  had  him  since 
many  times  in  my  hand,  and  therefore  cannot  be  de- 
ceived. His  dress  was  plain  and  simple,  and  he  had  on 
his  head  a  light  helmet  of  gold,  adorned  with  jewels, 
and  a  plume  on  the  crest.  He  held  his  sword  drawn  in 
his  hand  to  defend  himself  if  I  should  happen  to  break 

1  The  lives  of  the  Lilliputians  were  considerably  shorter  than  ours, 
it  must  he  understood. 


A  VOYAGE  TO  LILLIPUT  23 

loose  ;  it  was  almost  three  inches  long,  the  hilt  and 
scabbard  were  gold  enriched  with  diamonds.  His  voice 
was  shrill,  but  very  clear.  The  ladies  and  courtiers 
were  all  most  magnificently  clad,  so  that  the  spot  they 
stood  upon  seemed  to  resemble  a  petticoat  spread  on 
the  ground  embroidered  with  figures  of  gold  and  silver. 
His  majesty  spoke  to  me,  and  I  returned  answers,  but 
neither  of  us  could  understand  a  word.  There  were 
several  of  his  priests  and  lawyers  present,  who  were 
commanded  to  address  themselves  to  me,  and  I  spoke 
to  them  in  as  many  languages  as  I  had  the  least  smat- 
tering of,  which  were  High  and  Low  Dutch,  Latin, 
French,  Spanish,  Italian,  and  Lingua  Franca,1  but  all 
to  no  purpose.  After  about  two  hours  the  court  re- 
tired, and  I  was  left  with  a  strong  guard  to  keep  away 
the  crowd,  some  of  whom  had  the  impudence  to  shoot 
their  arrows  at  me  as  I  sat  on  the  ground  by  the  door 
of  my  house.  But  the  colonel  ordered  six  of  them  to 
be  seized,  and  delivered  bound  into  my  hands.  I  took 
them  all  in  my  right  hand,  put  five  of  them  into  my 
coat  pocket,  and  as  to  the  sixth,  I  made  a  countenance 
as  if  I  would  eat  him  alive.  The  poor  man  screamed 
terribly,  and  the  colonel  and  his  officers  were  much 
distressed,  especially  when  they  saw  me  take  out  my 
penknife,  but  I  soon  put  them  out  of  fear,  for  cutting 
the  strings  he  was  bound  with,  I  set  him  gently  on  the 
ground,  and  away  he  ran.     I  treated  the  rest  in  the 

1  A  mixed  dialect  used  in  some  parts  of  the  Mediterranean  coasts 
as  a  means  of  communication  between  persons  of  different  nationality, 
and  largely  consisting  of  corrupted  Italian  words. 


24 


GULLIVER  S   TRAVELS 


same  manner,  taking  them  one  by  one  out  of  my  pocket, 
and  I  observed  both  the  soldiers  and  people  were  highly 
delighted  at  this  mark  of  my  kindness. 

Towards  night  I  got  with  some  difficulty  into  my 
house,  where  I  lay  on  the  ground,  and  continued  to  do 
so  about  a  fortnight,  during  which  time  the  emperor 


gave  orders  to  have  a  bed  prepared  for  me.  Six  hun- 
dred beds  of  the  common  measure  were  brought  in  car- 
riages, and  worked  up  in  my  house  ;  a  hundred  and  fifty 
of  their  beds  sewed  together  made  up  the  breadth  and 
length,  and  these  were  four  double,  which,  however,  kept 
me  but  very  indifferently  from  the  hardness  of  the  floor, 


A  VOYAGE  TO   L1LLIPUT  25 

that  was  of  smooth  stone.  By  the  same  computation 
they  provided  me  with  sheets,  blankets,  and  coverlets, 
tolerable  enough  for  one  who  had  been  so  long  inured 
to  hardship  as  I. 

As  the  news  of  my  arrival  spread  through  the  king- 
dom, it  brought  numbers  of  rich,  idle,  and  curious  people 
to  see  me;  so  that  the  villages  were  almost  emptied. 
His  majesty  directed  that  those  who  had  already  beheld 
me  should  return  home,  and  not  presume  to  come  within 
fifty  yards  of  my  house  without  license  from  court ; 
whereby  the  secretaries  of  state  got  considerable  fees. 

In  the  meantime  the  emperor  held  frequent  councils, 
to  debate  what  course  should  be  taken  with  me  ;  and  I 
was  afterwards  assured  by  a  person  of  high  rank,  who  was 
as  much  in  the  secret  as  any,  that  the  court  was  under 
many  difficulties  concerning  me.  They  apprehended  my 
breaking  loose ;  that  my  diet  would  be  very  expensive, 
and  might  cause  a  famine.  Sometimes  they  determined 
to  starve  me,  or  at  least  to  shoot  me  in  the  face  and 
hands  with  poisoned  arrows,  which  would  soon  dispatch 
me;  but  again  they  considered  that  the  stench  of  so 
large  a  carcass  might  produce  a  plague  in  the  metropolis, 
and  probably  spread  through  the  whole  kingdom.  In 
the  midst  of  these  consultations,  several  officers  of  the 
army  went  to  the  door  of  the  great  council-chamber, 
and  two  of  them,  being  admitted,  gave  an  account  of  my 
behavior  to  the  six  criminals,  which  made  so  favorable 
an  impression  on  his  majesty  and  the  whole  board  in  my 
behalf,  that  an  order  was  issued  obliging  all  the  villages 

nine   hundred   yards  round  the  city,  to  deliver  every 

4% 


26  Gulliver's  travels 

morning  six  beeves,  forty  sheep,  and  other  victuals  for 
my  sustenance ;  together  with  a  proportionable  quantity 
of  bread,  and  wine,  and  other  liquors.  An  establishment 
was  also  made  of  six  hundred  persons  to  be  my  domes- 
tics, who  had  tents  built  for  them,  on  each  side  of  my 
door.  It  was  likewise  ordered  that  three  hundred  tailors 
should  make  me  a  suit  of  clothes,  after  the  fashion  of 
the  country ;  that  six  of  his  majesty's  greatest  scholars 
should  be  employed  to  instruct  me  in  their  language  ; 
and,  lastly,  that  the  emperor's  horses,  and  those  of  the 
nobility,  and  troops  of  guard,  should  be  frequently  ex- 
ercised in  my  sight,  to  accustom  themselves  to  me.  All 
these  orders  were  duly  carried  out.  In  about  three 
weeks  I  made  a  great  progress  in  learning  their  lan- 
guage ;  during  which  time  the  emperor  frequently 
honored  me  with  his  visits,  and  was  pleased  to  assist  my 
masters  in  teaching  me.  We  began  already  to  converse 
together  in  some  sort:  and  the  first  words  I  learned 
were  to  express  my  desire  that  he  would  please  to  give 
me  my  liberty ;  which  I  every  day  repeated  on  my  knees. 
He  answered,  that  this  must  be  a  work  of  time,  not  to 
be  thought  on  without  the  advice  of  his  council,  and 
that  first  I  must  swear  a  peace  with  him  and  his  king- 
dom. And  he  advised  me  to  acquire,  by  my  patience 
and  discreet  behavior,  the  good  opinion  of  himself  and 
his  subjects.  He  desired  I  would  not  take  it  ill,  if  he 
gave  orders  to  certain  proper  officers  to  search  me ;  for 
probably  I  might  carry  about  me  several  weapons,  which 
must  needs  be  dangerous  things,  if  they  answered  the 
bulk  of  so  prodigious  a  person.     I  said,  his  majesty 


A  VOYAGE   TO   LILLIPUT  27 

should  be  satisfied;  for  I  was  ready  to  turn  up  my 
pockets  before  him.  This  I  delivered,  part  in  words 
and  part  in  signs.  He  replied,  that  by  the  laws  of  the 
kingdom,  I  must  be  searched  by  two  of  his  officers ;  that 
he  knew  this  could  not  be  done  without  my  consent 
and  assistance ;  that  he  had  so  good  an  opinion  of  my 
generosity  and  justice,  as  to  trust  their  persons  in  my 
hands ;  that  whatever  they  took  from  me,  should  be  re- 
turned when  I  left  the  country,  or  paid  for  at  the  rate 
which  I  would  set  upon  them.  I  took  up  the  two  officers 
in  my  hands,  put  them  first  into  my  coat-pockets,  and 
then  into  every  other  pocket  about  me,  except  my  two 
fobs.  In  one  of  my  fobs  there  was  a  silver  watch,  and 
in  the  other  a  small  quantity  of  gold  in  a  purse.  These 
gentlemen,  having  pen,  ink,  and  paper  about  them,  made 
an  exact  inventory  of  everything  they  saw ;  and  when 
they  had  done,  desired  I  would  set  them  down,  that  they 
might  deliver  it  to  the  emperor.  This  inventory  I 
afterwards  translated  into  English,  and  is  word  for 
word  as  follows :  — 

"  In  the  right  coat-pocket  of  the  great  man-mountain, 
we  found  only  one  great  piece  of  coarse  cloth,  large 
enough  to  be  a  footcloth  for  your  majesty's  chief  room 
of  state.  In  the  left  pocket  we  saw  a  huge  silver  chest, 
with  a  cover  of  the  same  metal,  which  we  were  not  able 
to  lift.  We  desired  it  should  be  opened,  and  one  of  us 
stepping  into  it,  found  himself  up  to  the  mid-leg  in  a 
sort  of  dust,  some  part  whereof  flying  up  to  our  faces, 
set  us  both  sneezing  for  several  times  together.  In  his 
right  waistcoat-pocket  we  found  a  prodigious  bundle  of 


28  GULLIVEli's   TRAVELS 

white  thin  substances,  folded  one  over  another,  about 
the  bigness  of  three  men,  tied  with  a  strong  cable,  and 
marked  with  black  figures,  which  we  humbly  conceive 
to  be  writings,  every  letter  almost  half  as  large  as  the 
palm  of  our  hands.  In  the  left  there  was  a  sort  of 
engine,  from  the  back  of  which  were  extended  twenty 
long  poles,  resembling  the  palisadoes  before  your 
majesty's  court;  wherewith  we  conjecture  the  man- 
mountain  combs  his  head ;  for  we  did  not  always  trouble 
him  with  questions,  because  we  found  great  difficulty 
in  making  him  understand  us.  In  the  large  pocket,  on 
the  right  side  of  his  middle  cover  we  saw  a  hollow  pillar 
of  iron,  about  the  length  of  a  man,  fastened  to  a  strong 
piece  of  timber  larger  than  the  pillar ;  and  upon  one 
side  of  the  pillar  were  huge  pieces  of  iron  sticking  out, 
cut  into  strange  figures,  which  we  know  not  what  to 
make  of.  In  the  left  pocket,  another  engine  of  the  same 
kind.  In  the  smaller  pocket  on  the  right  side,  were  sev- 
eral round  flat  pieces  of  white  and  red  metal,  of  different 
bulk  ;  some  of  the  white,  which  seemed  to  be  silver,  were 
so  large  and  heavy,  that  my  comrade  and  I  could  hardly 
lift  them.  In  the  left  pocket  were  two  black  pillars  ir- 
regularly shaped:  we  could  not,  without  difficulty,  reach 
the  top  of  them,  as  we  stood  at  the  bottom  of  his  pocket. 
One  of  them  was  covered  and  seemed  all  of  a  piece  ;  but 
at  the  upper  end  of  the  other  there  appeared  a  white 
round  substance,  about  twice  the  bigness  of  our  heads. 
Within  each  of  these  was  inclosed  a  prodigious  plate  of 
steel ;  which  we  obliged  him  to  show  us,  because  we  felt 
they  might  be  dangerous  engines.     He  took  them  out 


A   VOYAGE  TO  LILLIPUT 


29 


of  their  cases,  and  told  us  that,  in  his  own  country,  his 
practice  was  to  shave  his  beard  with  one  of  these,  and 
to  cut  his  meat  with  the  other.  There  were  two  pockets 
which  we  could  not  enter ;  these  he  called  his  fobs  ;  they 
were  two  large  slits  cut  into  the  top  of  his  middle  cover, 
but  squeezed  close  by  the  pressure  of  his  belly.     Out  of 


the  right  fob  hung  a  great  silver  chain,  with  a  wonder- 
ful kind  of  engine  at  the  bottom.  We  directed  him  to 
draw  out  whatever  was  at  the  end  of  that  chain,  which 
appeared  to  be  a  globe,  half  silver,  and  half  of  some 
transparent  metal;  for,  on  the  transparent  side,  we  saw 
certain  strange  figures  circularly  drawn,  and  thought 


30  GULLIVER'S   TRAVELS 

we  could  touch  them,  till  we  found  our  fingers  stopped 
by  that  transparent  substance.  He  put  this  engine  to 
our  ears,  which  made  an  incessant  noise  like  that  of  a 
water-mill ;  and  we  suspect  it  is  either  some  unknown 
animal,  or  the  god  that  he  worships ;  but  we  are  more 
inclined  to  the  latter  opinion,  because  he  assured  us 
that  he  seldom  did  anything  without  consulting  it.  He 
called  it  his  oracle,  and  said  it  pointed  out  the  time  for 
every  action  of  his  life.  From  the  left  fob  he  took  out 
a  net,  almost  large  enough  for  a  fisherman,  but  con- 
trived to  open  and  shut  like  a  purse,  and  served  him  for 
the  same  use :  we  found  therein  several  massy  pieces 
of  yellow  metal,  which,  if  they  be  real  gold,  must  be  of 
immense  value. 

"  Having  thus,  in  obedience  to  your  majesty's  com- 
mands, diligently  searched  all  his  pockets,  we  observed  a 
girdle  about  his  waist,  made  of  the  hide  of  some  animal, 
from  which,  on  the  left  side,  hung  a  sword  of  the  length 
of  five  men ;  and  on  the  right,  a  bag  or  pouch  divided 
into  two  cells,  each  cell  capable  of  holding  three  of  your 
majesty's  subjects.  In  one  of  these  cells  were  several 
globes  or  balls,  of  a  ponderous  metal,  about  the  bigness 
of  our  heads,  and  required  a  strong  hand  to  lift  them ;  the 
other  cell  contained  a  heap  of  certain  black  grains,  but  of 
no  bulk  or  weight,  for  we  could  hold  about  fifty  of  them 
in  the  palms  of  our  hands. 

"  This  is  an  exact  inventory  of  what  we  found  about 
the  body  of  tha  man-mountain,  who  used  us  with  great 
civility." 

When  this  inventory  was  read  over  to  the  emperor*  he 


32  GtJLLIVER*S   TRAVELS 

directed  me,  although  in  very  gentle  terms,  to  deliver  up 
the  several  particulars.  He  first  called  for  my  sword, 
which  I  took  out,  scabbard  and  all.  In  the  meantime,  he 
ordered  three  thousand  of  his  troops  to  surround  me  at 
a  distance,  with  their  bows  and  arrows  ready  to  discharge; 
but  I  did  not  observe  it,  for  my  eyes  were  fixed  upon  his 
majesty.  He  then  desired  me  to  draw  my  sword,  which, 
although  it  had  got  some  rust  by  the  sea-water,  was  in 
most  parts  exceeding  bright.  I  did  so,  and  immediately 
all  the  troops  gave  a  shout  between  terror  and  surprise : 
for  the  sun  shone  clear,  and  the  reflection  dazzled  their 
eyes,  as  I  waved  it  to  and  fro  in  my  hand.  His  majesty 
was  less  daunted  than  I  could  expect :  he  ordered  me  to 
return  it  into  the  scabbard,  and  cast  it  on  the  ground  as 
gently  as  I  could,  about  six  feet  from  the  end  of  my  chain. 
The  next  thing  he  demanded  was  one  of  the  hollow  iron 
pillars :  by  which  he  meant  my  pocket-pistols.  I  drew 
it  out,  and  at  his  desire  expressed  to  him  the  use  of  it ; 
and  charging  it  only  with  powder,  which,  by  the  closeness 
of  my  pouch,  escaped  wetting  in  the  sea,  I  first  cautioned 
the  emperor  not  to  be  afraid,  and  then  I  let  it  off  in  the 
air.  The  astonishment  was  great.  Hundreds  fell  down 
as  if  they  had  been  struck  dead ;  and  even  the  emperor, 
although  he  stood  his  ground,  could  not  recover  himself 
for  some  time.  I  delivered  up  my  pistols,  and  then  my 
pouch  of  powder  and  bullets  ;  begging  him  that  the 
former  might  be  kept  from  the  fire,  for  it  would  kindle 
with  the  smallest  spark,  and  blow  his  palace  into  the  air. 
I  delivered  up  my  watch,  which  the  emperor  was  very 
curious  to  see,  and  commanded  two  of  his  tallest  yeomen 


A   VOYAGE  TO   LILLIPUT 


33 


of  the  guards  to  bear  it  on  a  pole  upon  their  shoulders* 
He  was  amazed  at  the  continual  noise  it  made,  and  the 
motion  of  the  minute  hand,  which  he  could  easily  dis- 
cern, for  their  sight  is  much  more  acute  than  ours.  I 
then  gave  up  my  silver  and  copper  money,  my  purse 
with  nine  large  pieces  of  gold  and  some  smaller  ones ; 
my  knife  and  razor,  my  comb  and  silver  snuff-box,  my 
handkerchief  and  journal-book.  My  sword,  pistols,  and 
pouch  were  conveyed  in  carriages  to  his  majesty's  stores, 
the  rest  of  my  goods  were  returned  me. 

I  had,  as  I  before  observed,  one  private  pocket,  which 
escaped  their  search,  wherein  there  was  a  pair  of  spec- 
tacles, and  a  small  spy-glass,  and  which,  being  of  no  con- 
sequence to  the  emperor,  I  did  not  think  myself  bound 
in  honor  to  discover. 


CHAPTER  III 

The  Author  diverts  the  Emperor,  and  his  Nohility  of  Both  Sexes,  in  a 
very  Uncommon  Manner  —  The  Diversions  of  the  Court  of  Lilliput 
described  —  The  Author  has  his  Liberty  granted  him  upon  Certain 
Conditions. 

My  good  behavior  had  gained  so  far  on  the  emperor 
and  his  court,  and  indeed  upon  the  army  and  people  in 
general  that  I  conceived  hopes  of  getting  my  liberty  in 
a  short  time.  I  took  all  possible  methods  to  cultivate 
this  favorable  disposition.  The  natives  came,  by  de- 
grees, to  be  less  fearful  of  me.  I  would  sometimes  lie 
down,  and  let  five  or  six  of  them  dance  on  my  hand; 
and  at  last  the  boys  and  girls  would  venture  to  come  and 
play  at  hide-and-seek  in  my  hair.  I  made  good  prog- 
ress in  understanding  and  speaking  their  language.  The 
emperor  one  day  entertained  me  with  several  of  the  coun- 
try shows,  wherein  they  exceed  all  nations  I  have  known, 
both  for  dexterity  and  magnificence.  I  was  diverted 
with  none  so  much  as  that  of  the  rope-dancers,  per- 
formed upon  a  slender  white  thread,  extended  about 
two  feet  from  the  ground. 

This  diversion  is  only  practiced  by  those  persons  who 
are  candidates  for  great  employments  and  high  favor  at 

34 


A   VOYAGE   TO   LILLIPUT  35 

court.  They  are  trained  in  this  art  from  their  youth, 
and  are  not  always  of  noble  birth  or  liberal  education. 
When  a  great  office  is  vacant,  either  by  death  or  dis- 
grace, five  or  six  of  those  candidates  petition  the  em- 
peror to  entertain  his  majesty  and  the  court  with  a  dance 
on  the  rope  ;  and  whoever  jumps  the  highest  without 
falling,  succeeds  in  the  office.  Very  often  the  chief  min- 
isters themselves  are  commanded  to  show  their  skill,  and 
to  convince  the  emperor  that  they  have  not  lost  their 
faculty.  Flimnap,  the  treasurer,  is  allowed  to  cut  a  caper 
on  the  straight  rope,  at  least  an  inch  higher  than  any 
other  lord  in  the  whole  empire.  I  have  seen  him  do 
the  somerset  several  times  together,  upon  a  trencher 
fixed  on  the  rope,  which  is  no  thicker  than  a  common 
thread.  The  principal  secretary  for  private  affairs,  is  the 
second  after  the  treasurer  ;  the  rest  of  the  great  officers 
are  much  upon  a  par. 

These  diversions  are  often  attended  with  fatal  acci- 
dents. I  have  seen  two  or  three  candidates  break  a  limb. 
But  the  danger  is  much  greater  when  the  ministers 
themselves  are  commanded  to  show  their  dexterity  ;  for, 
in  trying  to  excel  themselves  and  their  fellows,  they 
strain  so  far  that  there  is  hardly  one  of  them  who  has 
not  received  a  fall,  and  some  of  them  two  or  three.  I 
was  assured  that  Flimnap  would  have  broken  his  neck 
if  one  of  the  king's  cushions,  that  accidently  lay  on  the 
ground,  had  not  weakened  the  force  of  his  fall. 

There  is  likewise  another  diversion,  which  is  only 
shown  before  the  emperor  and  empress,  and  first  min- 
ister, upon  particular  occasions.     The  emperor  lays  on 


A  VOYAGE  TO   LILLIPUT  37 

a  table  three  fine  silken  threads  of  six  inches  long  ;  one 
is  blue,  the  other  red,  and  the  third  green.  These 
threads  are  proposed  as  prizes  for  those  persons  whom 
the  emperor  has  a  mind  to  distinguish  by  a  peculiar 
mark  of  his  favor.  The  ceremony  is  performed  in  his 
majesty's  great  chamber  of  state,  where  the  candidates 
are  to  undergo  a  trial  of  dexterity.  The  emperor  holds 
a  stick  in  his  hands,  both  ends  parallel  to  the  horizon, 
while  the  candidates  advancing,  one  by  one,  sometimes 
leap  over  the  stick,  sometimes  creep  under  it,  backwards 
and  forwards,  several  times,  according  as  the  stick  is  ad- 
vanced or  depressed.  Sometimes  the  emperor  holds  one 
end  of  the  stick,  and  his  first  minister  the  other  ;  some- 
times the  minister  has  it  entirely  to  himself.  Whoever  per- 
forms his  part  with  most  agility,  and  holds  out  the  longest 
in  leaping  and  creeping,  is  rewarded  with  the  blue-colored 
silk  ;  the  red  is  given  to  the  next,  and  the  green  to  the 
third,  which  they  all  wear  girt  twice  round  about  the 
middle  ■,  and  you  see  few  great  persons  about  this  court 
who  are  not  adorned  with  one  of  these  girdles 

The  horses  of  the  army,  and  those  of  the  royal  stables, 
having  been  daily  led  before  me,  were  no  longer  shy, 
but  would  come  up  to  my  very  feet  without  starting. 
The  riders  would  leap  them  over  my  hand,  as  I  held  it 
on  the  ground ;  and  one  of  the  emperor's  huntsmen, 
upon  a  large  courser,  took  my  foot,  shoe  and  all,  which 
was  indeed  a  prodigious  leap.  I  amused  the  emperor 
one  day  after  a  very  extraordinary  manner.  I  desired 
he  would  order  several  sticks  of  two  feet  high,  and  the 
thickness  of  an  ordinary  cane,  to  be  brought  me.     I  took 


38  Gulliver's  travels 

nine  of  these  sticks,  and  fixing  them  firmly  in  the  ground 
in  a  quadrangular  figure,  two  feet  and  a  half  square,  I 
took  four  other  sticks,  and  tied  them  parallel  at  each 
corner,  about  two  feet  from  the  ground  ;  then  I  fastened 
my  handkerchief  to  the  nine  sticks  that  stood  erect,  and 
extended  it  on  all  sides,  till  it  was  as  tight  as  the  top  of 
a  drum  ;  and  the  four  parallel  sticks,  rising  about  five 
inches  higher  than  the  handkerchief,  served  as  ledges 
on  each  side.  When  I  had  finished  my  work,  I  desired 
the  emperor  to  let  a  troop  of  his  best  horse,  twenty-four 
in  number,  come  and  exercise  upon  this  plain.  His 
majesty  approved,  and  I  took  them  up,  one  by  one,  in 
my  hands,  ready  mounted  and  armed,  with  the  proper 
officers  to  exercise  them.  As  soon  as  they  got  into  order 
they  divided  into  two  parties,  performed  mock  skir- 
mishes, discharged  blunt  arrows,  drew  their  swords,  fled 
and  pursued,  attacked  and  retired,  and,  in  short,  dis- 
covered the  best  military  discipline  I  ever  beheld.  The 
parallel  sticks  secured  them  and  their  horses  from  fall- 
ing over  the  stage  ;  and  the  emperor  was  so  much  de- 
lighted, that  he  ordered  this  entertainment  to  be  repeated 
several  days,  and  once  was  pleased  to  be  lifted  up  and 
give  the  word  of  command  ;  and  with  great  difficulty 
persuaded  even  the  empress  herself  to  let  me  hold  her 
in  her  close  chair  within  two  yards  of  the  stage,  from 
whence  she  was  able  to  take  a  full  view  of  the  whole 
performance.  Fortunately  no  accident  happened  ;  only 
once  a  fiery  horse,  that  belonged  to  one  of  the  captains, 
pawing  with  his  hoof,  struck  a  hole  in  my  handkerchief, 
and  his  foot  slipping,  he  overthrew  his  rider  and  him- 


A  VOYAGE  TO  LILLIPUT  89 

self  ;  but  I  immediately  relieved  them  both,  and  cover- 
ing the  hole  with  one  hand,  I  set  down  the  troop  with 
the  other,  in  the  same  manner  as  I  took  them  up.  The 
horse  that  fell  was  strained  in  the  left  shoulder,  but  the 
rider  got  no  hurt ;  and  I  repaired  my  handkerchief  as 
well  as  I  could  :  however,  I  would  not  trust  to  the 
strength  of  it  any  more  in  such  dangerous  enterprises. 


About  two  or  three  days  before  I  was  set  at  liberty, 
there  arrived  an  express  to  inform  his  majesty  that  some 
of  his  subjects,  riding  near  the  place  where  I  was  first 
taken  up,  had  seen  a  great  black  substance  lying  on  the 
ground,  very  oddly  shaped,  extending  its  edges  round, 
as  wide  as  his  majesty's  bed-chamber,  and  rising  up  in 
the  middle  as  high  as  a  man  ;  that  it  was  no  living  crea- 
ture, as  they  at  first  apprehended,  for  it  lay  on  the  grass 
without  motion,  and  some  of  them  had  walked  round 
it  several  times  ;  that,  by  mounting  upon  each  other's 


40  Gulliver's  travels 

shoulders,  they  had  got  to  the  top,  which  was  flat  and 
even,  and  stamping  upon  it,  they  found  it  was  hollow 
within  ;  that  they  humbly  conceived  it  might  be  some- 
thing belonging  to  the  man-mountain.  I  presently 
knew  what  they  meant.  It  seems,  upon  my  first  reach- 
ing the  shore  after  our  shipwreok,  I  was  in  such  confu- 
sion that,  before  I  came  to  the  place  where  I  went  to 
sleep,  my  hat,  which  I  had  fastened  with  a  string  to  my 
head  while  I  was  rowing,  and  had  stuck  on  all  the  time 
I  was  swimming,  fell  off  after  I  came  to  land  ;  the 
string,  breaking  by  some  accident  which  I  never  ob- 
served, but  thought  my  hat  had  been  lost  at  sea.  I 
entreated  his  majesty  to  give  orders  it  might  be  brought 
to  me,  describing  to  him  the  use  and  the  nature  of  it  : 
and  the  next  day  the  wagoners  arrived  with  it,  but  not  in 
very  good  condition  ;  they  had  bored  two  holes  in  the 
brim,  within  an  inch  and  a  half  of  the  edge,  and  fastened 
two  hooks  in  the  holes ;  these  hooks  were  tied  by  a  long 
cord  to  the  harness,  and  thus  my  hat  was  dragged  along 
for  half  a  mile  ;  but  the  ground  in  that  country  being 
extremely  smooth  and  level,  it  received  less  damage 
than  I  expected. 

Two  days  after  this  adventure,  the  emperor,  having 
ordered  that  part  of  his  army  which  quarters  in  and 
about  his  metropolis  to  be  in  readiness,  took  a  fancy  of 
diverting  himself  in  a  very  singular  manner.  He  de- 
sired I  would  stand  like  a  Colossus,  with  my  legs  as  far 
asunder  as  I  conveniently  could.  He  then  commanded 
his  general  to  draw  up  the  troops  in  close  order  and 
march  them  under  me  ;  the  foot  by  twenty -four  in  a 


42 


Gulliver's  travels 


breast,  and  the  horse  by  sixteen,  with  drums  beating, 
colors  flying,  and  pikes  advanced.  This  body  consisted 
of  three  thousand  foot  and  a  thousand  horse. 

I  had  sent  so  many  petitions  for  my  liberty,  that  his 
majesty  at  length  mentioned  the  matter  in  full  council ; 
where  it  was  opposed  by  none  except  Skyresh  Bolgo- 
lam,  who  was  pleased,  without  any  provocation,  to  be 
my  mortal  enemy.     But  it  was  carried  against  him  by 


the  whole  board,  and  confirmed  by  the  emperor.  That 
minister  was  admiral  of  the  realm,  very  much  in  his 
master's  confidence,  and  a  person  well  versed  in  affairs, 
but  of  a  morose  and  sour  disposition,  he  prevailed  that 
the  articles  and  conditions  upon  which  I  should  be  set 
free,  and  to  which  I  must  swear,  should  be  drawn  up  by 
himself.  These  articles  were  brought  to  me  by  Skyresh 
Bolgolam  in  person.  After  they  were  read,  I  was  or- 
dered to  swear  to  the  performance  of  them  ;  first  in  the 
manner  of  my  own  country,  and  afterwards  in  the  method 


A  VOYAGE  TO   LILLIPUT  43 

prescribed  by  their  laws  ;  which  was,  to  hold  my  right 
foot  in  my  left  hand,  to  place  the  middle  finger  of  my 
right  hand  on  the  crown  of  my  head,  and  my  thumb  on 
the  tip  of  my  right  ear.  But  because  the  reader  may 
perhaps  be  curious  to  have  some  idea  of  the  style  and 
manner  of  expression  peculiar  to  that  people,  as  well  as 
to  know  the  articles  upon  which  I  recovered  my  liberty, 
I  have  made  a  translation  of  the  whole  instrument,  word 
for  word,  as  near  as  I  was  able,  which  I  here  offer  to 
the  public. 

"  Golbasto  Momarem  Evlame  Gurdilo  Shefin  Mully 
Ully  Gue,  most  mighty  Emperor  of  Lilliput,  delight  and 
terror  of  the  universe,  whose  dominions  extend  five  thou- 
sand blustrugs  (about  twelve  miles  in  circumference)  to 
the  ends  of  the  globe  ;  monarch  of  all  monarchs,  taller 
than  the  sons  of  men  ;  whose  feet  press  down  to  the 
center,  and  whose  head  strikes  against  the  sun,  at  whose 
nod  the  princes  of  the  earth  shake  their  knees  ;  pleasant 
as  the  spring,  comfortable  as  the  summer,  fruitful  as 
autumn,  dreadful  as  winter.  His  most  sublime  majesty 
proposes  to  the  man-mountain,  lately  arrived  at  our 
celestial  dominions,  the  following  articles,  which,  by  a 
solemn  oath,  he  shall  be  obliged  to  perform  :  — 

"  First.  The  man-mountain  shall  not  depart  from  our 
dominions  without  our  license  under  our  seal. 

"Second.  He  shall  not  presume  to  come  into  our 
metropolis  without  our  express  order  ;  at  which  time 
the  inhabitants  shall  have  two  hours'  warning  to  keep 
within  their  doors. 


44  gtjlliyer's  travels 

"Third.  The  said  man-mountain  shall  confine  his 
walks  to  our  principal  high  roads,  and  not  offer  to 
walk,  or  lie  down,  in  a  meadow  or  field  of  corn. 

"Fourth.  As  he  walks  the  said  roads,  he  shall  take 
the  utmost  care  not  to  trample  upon  the  bodies  of  any 
of  our  loving  subjects,  nor  take  any  of  our  said  subjects 
into  his  hands  without  their  own  consent. 

"Fifth.  If  a  special  or  pressing  message  requires  ex- 
traordinary dispatch,  the  man-mountain  shall  be  obliged 
to  carry  in  his  pocket  the  messenger  and  horse  a  six 
days'  journey,  once  in  every  moon,  and  return  the  said 
messenger  back  safe  to  our  imperial  presence. 

"Sixth.  He  shall  be  our  ally  against  our  enemies  in 
the  island  of  Blefuscu,  and  do  his  utmost  to  destroy 
their  fleet,  which  is  now  preparing  to  invade  us. 

"Lastly.  That,  upon  his  solemn  oath  to  observe  all 
the  above  articles,  the  said  man-mountain  shall  have  a 
daily  allowance  of  meat  and  drink  sufficient  for  the 
support  of  1728  of  our  subjects,  with  free  access  to  our 
royal  person,  and  other  marks  of  our  favor. " 

I  swore  to  these  articles  with  great  cheerfulness, 
whereupon  my  chains  were  immediately  unlocked,  and 
I  was  at  full  liberty. 

The  emperor  did  me  the  honor  to  be  by  at  the  whole 
ceremony.  I  made  my  acknowledgments  by  prostrat- 
ing myself  at  his  majesty's  feet:  but  he  commanded 
me  to  rise;  and  after  many  gracious  expressions,  he 
added,  that  he  hoped  I  should  prove  a  useful  servant, 
and  well  deserve  all  the  favors  he  had  already  conferred 
upon  me,  or  might  do  for  the  future.        * ' 


CHAPTER  IV 

Mildendo,  the  Metropolis  of  Lilliput,  described,  together  with  the  Em- 
peror's  Palace  —  A  Conversation  between  the  Author  and  a  Princi- 
pal Secretary,  concerning  the  Affairs  of  that  Empire  —  The  Author's 
Offers  to  serve  the  Emperor  in  his  Wars. 

The  first  request  I  made,  after  I  had  obtained  my 
liberty,  was,  that  I  might  have  license  to  see  Mildendo, 
the  metropolis ;  which  the  emperor  granted,  but  with 
a  special  charge  to  do  no  hurt  either  to  the  inhabitants 
or  their  houses.  The  people  had  notice  of  my  design 
to  visit  the  town.  The  wall,  which  encompassed  it,  is 
two  feet  and  a  half  high,  and  at  least  eleven  inches 
broad,  so  that  a  coach  and  horses  may  be  driven  very 
safely  round  it ;  and  it  is  flanked  with  strong  towers 
at  ten  feet  distance.  I  stepped  over  the  great  western 
gate,  and  passed  very  gently  and  sideling  through  the 
two  principal  streets,  only  in  my  short  waistcoat,  for 
fear  of  damaging  the  roofs  and  eaves  of  the  houses  with 
the  skirts  of  my  coat.  I  walked  with  the  utmost  care, 
to  avoid  treading  on  any  stragglers  that  might  remain 
in  the  streets  ;  although  the  orders  were  very  strict  that 
all  people  should  keep  in  their  houses,  at  their  own 
peril.  The  garret  windows  and  tops  of  houses  were 
crowded  with  spectators.  The  city  is  an  exact  square, 
each  side  of  the  wall  being  five  hundred  feet  long.  The 
two  great  streets,  which  run  across  and  divide  it  into 

45 


46  gulliver's  travels 

four  quarters,  are  five  feet  wide.  The  lanes  and  alleys 
which  I  could  not  enter,  but  only  viewed  them  as  I 
passed,  are  from  twelve  to  eighteen  inches.  The  town 
is  capable  of  holding  half  a  million  people ;  the  houses 
are  from  three  to  five  stories :  th«  shops  and  markets 
well  provided. 

The  emperor's  palace  is  in  the  center  of  the  city, 
where  the  two  great  streets  meet.  It  is  inclosed  by 
a  wall  two  feet  high,  and  twenty  feet  distant  from  the 
buildings.  I  had  his  majesty's  permission  to  step  over 
this  wall ;  and  the  space  being  so  wide  between  that  and 
the  palace,  I  could  easily  view  it  on  every  side.  The 
outward  court  is  a  square  of  forty  feet,  and  includes 
two  other  courts:  in  the  inmost  are  the  royal  apart- 
ments, which  I  was  very  desirous  to  see,  but  found  it 
extremely  difficult ;  for  the  great  gates  from  one  square 
into  another,  were  but  eighteen  inches  high  and  seven 
inches  wide.  Now  the  buildings  of  the  outer  court 
were  at  least  five  feet  high,  and  it  was  impossible  for 
me  to  stride  over  them  without  damage  to  the  pile, 
though  the  walls  were  strongly  built  of  hewn  stone,  and 
four  inches  thick.  The  emperor  desired  that  I  should 
see  the  magnificence  of  his  palace ;  but  this  I  was  not 
able  to  do  till  three  days  after,  which  I  spent  in  cutting 
down  with  my  knife  some  of  the  largest  trees  in  the 
royal  park,  about  a  hundred  yards  distant  from  the  city. 
Of  these  trees  I  made  two  stools,  each  about  three  feet 
high,  and  strong  enough  to  bear  my  weight.  The  peo- 
ple having  received  notice  the  second  time,  I  went  again 
through  the  city  to  the  palace  with  my  two  stools  in 


A  VOYAGE  TO   LILLIPUT  47 

my  hands.  When  I  came  to  the  side  of  the  outer  court, 
I  stood  upon  one  stool,  and  took  the  other  in  my  hand ; 
this  I  lifted  over  the  roof,  and  gently  set  it  down  on 
the  space  between  the  first  and  second  courts,  which 
was  eight  feet  wide.  I  then  stepped  over  the  buildings 
from  one  stool  to  the  other,  and  drew  up  the  first 
after  me  with  a  hooked  stick.  Thus  I  got  into  the  in- 
most court ;  and,  lying  down  upon  my  side,  I  applied 
my  face  to  the  windows  of  the  middle  stories,  which 
were  left  open  on  purpose,  and  discovered  the  most 
splendid  apartments  that  can  be  imagined.  There  I 
saw  the  empress  and  the  young  princes,  with  their  chief 
attendants  about  them.  Her  imperial  majesty  was 
pleased  to  smile  very  graciously  upon  me,  and  gave  me 
out  of  the  window  her  hand  to  kiss. 

One  morning,  about  a  fortnight  after  I  had  obtained 
my  liberty,  the  principal  secretary  of  private  affairs 
came  to  my  house,  attended  only  by  one  servant.  He 
ordered  his  coach  to  wait  at  a  distance,  and  desired  I 
would  give  him  an  hour's  audience.  I  offered  to  lie 
down,  that  he  might  the  more  conveniently  reach  my 
ear ;  but  he  chose  rather  to  let  me  hold  him  in  my  hand 
during  our  conversation.  He  began  with  compliments 
on  my  liberty ;  said  he  might  pretend  to  some  merit  in 
it ;  but  added,  that  if  it  had  not  been  for  the  present 
situation  of  things  at  court,  perhaps  I  might  not  have 
obtained  it  so  soon.  "  For,"  said  he,  "  as  flourishing 
a  condition  as  we  may  appear  to  be  in  to  foreigners,  we 
labor  under  two  mighty  evils ;  a  violent  faction  at  home, 
and  the  danger  of  an  invasion  from  the  island  of  Ble- 


48  GULLIVER'S  TRAVELS 

fuscu,  which  is  the  other  great  empire  of  the  universe, 
almost  as  large  and  powerful  as  this  of  his  majesty. 
For,  as  to  what  we  have  heard  you  affirm,  that  there 
are  other  kingdoms  in  the  world,  inhabited  by  human 
creatures  as  large  as  yourself,  our  philosophers  are  in 
much  doubt,  and  would  rather  believe  that  you  dropped 
from  the  moon  or  one  of  the  stars  ;  because  it  is  certain, 
that  a  hundred  mortals  of  your  bulk  would  in  a  short 
time  destroy  all  the  fruits  and  cattle  of  his  majesty's 
dominions :  besides,  our  histories  of  six  thousand  moons 
make  no  mention  of  any  other  regions  than  the  two 
great  empires  of  Lilliput  and  Blef uscu ;  which  two 
mighty  powers  have  been  engaged  in  a  most  obstinate 
war  for  six-and-thirty  moons  past.  It  began  on  the 
following  occasion :  It  is  allowed  on  all  hands,  that  the 
primitive  way  of  breaking  eggs,  before  we  eat  them, 
was  upon  the  larger  end;  but  his  present  majesty's 
grandfather,  while  he  was  a  boy,  going  to  eat  an  egg, 
and  breaking  it  according  to  the  ancient  practice,  hap- 
pened to  cut  one  of  his  fingers ;  whereupon,  the  emperor 
his  father  published  an  edict,  commanding  all  his  sub- 
jects, upon  great  penalties,  to  break  the  smaller  end 
of  their  eggs.  The  people  so  highly  resented  this  law, 
that  our  histories  tell  us,  there  have  been  six  rebellions 
raised  on  that  account ;  wherein  one  emperor  lost  his 
life  and  another  his  crown.  These  civil  commotions 
were  constantly  fomented  by  the  monarchs  of  Blef  uscu; 
and  when  they  were  quelled,  the  exiles  always  fled  for 
refuge  to  that  empire.  It  is  computed  that  eleven 
thousand  persons  have  at  several  times  suffered  death, 


A  VOYAGE  TO   LILLIPUT 


49 


rather  than  submit  to  break  their  eggs  at  the  smaller 
end.  Many  hundred  volumes  have  been  published  upon 
this  controversy  ;  but  the  books  of  the  Bigendians  have 
been  long  forbidden,  and  the  whole  party  rendered  in- 
capable by  law  of  holding  employments.  During  the 
course  of  those  troubles,  the  emperors  of  Blefuscu  ac- 


cused us  of  making  a  schism  in  religion,  by  offending 
against  a  fundamental  doctrine  of  our  great  prophet 
Lustrog,  in  the  fifty-fourth  chapter  of  the  Blundecral 
(which  is  their  Alcoran).  This,  however,  is  thought 
to  be  a  mere  strain  upon  the  text ;  for  the  words  are 
these :  that  all  true  believers  shall  break  their  eggs  at 


50 


GtTLLIVBE's  TBAVKL8 


the  convenient  end.  And  which  is  the  convenient  end 
seems,  in  my  humble  opinion,  to  be  left  to  every  man's 
conscience,  or  at  least  in  the  power  of  the  chief  magis- 
trate to  determine.  Now,  the  Bigendian  exiles  have 
found  so  much  credit  in  the  emperor  of  Blefuscu's 
court,  and  so  much  private  assistance  and  encourage- 
ment from  their  party  here  at  home,  that  a  bloody  war 
has  been  carried  on  between  the  two  empires  for  six- 
and-thirty  moons  with  various  success;  during  which 
time  we  have  lost  forty  capital  ships,  and  a  much  greater 
number  of  smaller  vessels,  together  with  thirty  thousand 
of  our  best  seamen  and  soldiers ;  and  the  damage  re- 
ceived by  the  enemy  is  reckoned  to  be  somewhat  greater 
than  ours.  However,  they  have  now  equipped  a  nu- 
merous fleet,  and  are  just  preparing  to  make  a  descent 
upon  us ;  and  his  imperial  majesty,  placing  great  con- 
fidence in  your  valor  and  strength,  hath  commanded  me 
to  set  the  case  before  you." 

I  desired  the  secretary  to  present  my  humble  duty  to 
the  emperor  ;  and  to  let  him  know  that  I  was  ready,  at 
the  risk  of  my  life,  to  defend  his  person  and  state 
against  all  invaders. 


CHAPTER  V 

The  Author,  hy  an.  Extraordinary  Stratagem,  prevents  an  Invasion  —  A 
High  Title  is  conferred  upon  him  —  Ambassadors  arrive  from  the 
Emperor  of  Blefuscu,  and  sue  for  Peace. 

The  empire  of  Blefuscu  is  an  island,  situated  to  the 
northeast  of  Lilliput,  from  which  it  is  parted  only  by  a 
channel  of  eight  hundred  yards  wide.  I  had  not  yet 
seen  it,  and  upon  this  notice  of  an  intended  invasion,  I 
avoided  appearing  on  that  side  of  the  coast,  for  fear  of 
being  discovered  by  some  of  the  enemy's  ships,  who  had 
received  no  intelligence  of  me  ;  all  intercourse  between 
the  two  empires  having  been  forbidden  during  the  war, 
upon  pain  of  death,  and  an  embargo  laid  by  our  emperor 
upon  all  vessels  whatsoever.  I  communicated  to  his 
majesty  a  project  I  had  formed,  of  seizing  the  enemy's 
whole  fleet  ;  which  lay  at  anchor  in  the  harbor,  ready 
to  sail  with  the  first  fair  wind.  I  consulted  the  most 
experienced  seamen  upon  the  depth  of  the  channel,  and 
was  told  that  in  the  middle  at  high  water  it  was  about 
six  feet  deep.  I  walked  towards  the  northeast  coast, 
over  against  Blefuscu,  and  lying  down  behind  a  hillock, 
took  out  my  small  spy-glass,  and  viewed  the  enemy's 

62 


A  VOYAGE  TO  LILLIPUT  53 

fleet  at  anchor,  consisting  of  about  fifty  men-of-war,  and 
a  great  number  of  transports.  I  came  back  to  my  bouse, 
and  gave  order  for  a  great  quantity  of  the  strongest 
cable  and  bars  of  iron.  The  cable  was  about  as  thick  as 
thread,  and  the  bars  of  the  length  and  size  of  a  knitting- 
needle.  I  trebled  the  cable  to  make  it  stronger,  and  for 
the  same  reason  I  twisted  three  of  the  iron  bars  together, 
bending  the  ends  into  a  hook.  Having  thus  fixed  fifty 
hooks  to  as  many  cables,  I  went  back  to  the  northeast 
coast,  and  putting  off  my  coat,  shoes,  and  stockings, 
walked  into  the  sea,  in  my  leather  jacket,  about  half  an 
hour  before  high-water.  I  waded  with  what  haste  I 
could,  and  swam  in  the  middle  about  thirty  yards,  till  I 
felt  ground.  I  arrived  at  the  fleet  in  less  than  half  an 
hour.  The  enemy  was  so  frightened  when  they  saw  me, 
that  they  leaped  out  of  their  ships,  and  swam  to  shore, 
where  there  could  not  be  fewer  than  thirty  thousand. 
I  then  took  my  tackling,  and,  fastening  a  hook  to  the 
hole  at  the  prow  of  each,  I  tied  all  the  cords  together  at 
the  end.  While  I  was  thus  employed,  the  enemy  dis- 
charged several  thousand  arrows,  many  of  which  stuck  in 
my  hands  and  face.  My  greatest  fear  was  for  my  eyes, 
which  I  should  have  lost,  if  I  had  not  suddenly  thought 
of  the  pair  of  spectacles,  which  had  escaped  the  emper- 
or's searchers.  These  I  took  out,  and  fastened  upon 
my  nose,  and  thus  armed,  went  on  boldly  with  my  work, 
in  spite  of  the  enemy's  arrows,  many  of  which  struck 
against  the  glasses  of  my  spectacles,  but  without  any 
other  effect  than  slightly  disturbing  them.  I  had  now 
fastened  all  the  hooks,  and,  taking  the  knot  in  my  hand, 


54  gulliver's  travels 

began  to  pull ;  but  not  a  ship  would  stir,  for  they  were 
all  held  too  fast  by  their  anchors,  so  that  the  boldest 
part  of  my  enterprise  remained.  I  let  go  the  cord,  and, 
leaving  the  hooks  fixed  to  the  ships,  I  resolutely  cut  with 
my  knife  the  cables  that  fastened  the  anchors,  receiving 


about  two  hundred  shots  in  my  face  and  hands  ;  then  I 
took  up  the  knotted  ends  of  the  cables,  to  which  my 
hooks  were  tied,  and  with  great  ease  drew  fifty  of  the 
enemy's  largest  men-of-war  after  me. 

When  the  Blefuscudians  saw  t%e  whole  fleet  moving 


A  VOYAGE  TO   LILLIPUT  55 

in  order,  and  saw  me  pulling  at  the  end,  they  set  up  such 
a  scream  of  grief  and  despair.  When  I  had  got  out  of 
danger,  I  stopped  awhile  to  pick  out  the  arrows  that 
stuck  in  my  hands  and  face  ;  and  rubbed  on  some  of  the 
same  ointment  that  was  given  me  at  my  first  arrival.  I 
then  took  off  my  spectacles,  and  waiting  about  an  hour, 
till  the  tide  was  a  little  fallen,  I  waded  through  the 
middle  with  my  cargo,  and  arrived  safe  at  the  royal 
port  of  Lilliput. 

The  emperor  and  his  whole  court  stood  on  the  shore, 
awaiting  me.  They  saw  the  ships  move  forward  in  a 
large  half -moon,  but  could  not  discern  me,  who  was  up 
to  my  breast  in  water.  When  I  advanced  to  the  middle 
of  the  channel,  they  were  yet  more  in  fear,  because  I 
was  under  water  to  my  neck.  The  emperor  concluded 
me  to  be  drowned,  and  that  the  enemy's  fleet  was  ap- 
proaching in  a  hostile  manner  :  but  he  was  soon  eased 
of  his  fears  ;  for  the  channel  growing  shallower  every 
step  I  made,  I  came  in  a  short  time  within  hearing,  and 
holding  up  the  end  of  the  cable,  by  which  the  fleet  was 
fastened,  I  cried  in  a  loud  voice,  Long  live  the  most 
puissant  Emperor  of  Lilliput  !  This  great  prince  re- 
ceived me  at  my  landing  with  all  possible  encomiums, 
and  created  me  a  Nardal  on  the  spot,  which  is  the  high 
est  title  of  honor  among  them. 

His  majesty  desired  I  would  take  some  other  oppor- 
tunity of  bringing  all  the  rest  of  his  enemy's  ships  into 
his  ports,  and  he  seemed  to  think  of  nothing  less  than 
reducing  the  whole  empire  of  Blefuscu  into  a  province, 
and  governing  it  by  a  viceroy  ;  of  destroying  the  Bi- 


56  gulliver's  travels 

gendian  exiles,  and  compelling  that  people  to  break  the 
smaller  ends  of  their  eggs,  by  which  he  would  remain 
the  sole  monarch  of  the  whole  world.  But  I  plainly- 
protested  that  I  would  never  be  an  instrument  of  bring- 
ing a  free  and  brave  people  into  slavery.  And,  when 
the  matter  was  debated  in  council,  the  wisest  part  of  the 
ministry  were  of  my  opinion. 

This  open,  bold  declaration  of  mine  was  so  opposite 
to  the  schemes  of  his  imperial  majesty  that  he  could 
never  forgive  it.  He  mentioned  it  in  a  very  artful  man- 
ner at  council,  where  I  was  told  that  some  of  the  wisest 
appeared  by  their  silence,  to  be  of  my  opinion  ;  but 
others,  who  were  my  secret  enemies,  made  some  expres- 
sions which  reflected  on  me.  And  from  this  time  began 
an  intrigue  between  his  majesty  and  a  junto  of  minis- 
ters, maliciously  bent  against  me,  which  broke  out  in 
less  than  two  months,  and  had  like  to  have  ended  in 
my  utter  destruction.  Of  so  little  weight  are  the  great- 
est services  to  princes  when  put  into  the  balance  with  a 
refusal  to  gratify  their  passions. 

About  three  weeks  after  this  exploit  there  arrived  an 
embassy  from  Blefuscu,  with  humble  offers  of  a  peace  ; 
which  was  soon  concluded,  upon  conditions  very  advan- 
tageous to  our  emperor.  There  were  six  ambassadors, 
with  a  train  of  about  five  hundred  persons  :  and  their 
entry  was  very  magnificent,  suitable  to  the  grandeur 
of  their  master,  and  the  importance  of  their  business. 
When  their  treaty  was  finished,  wherein  I  did  them 
several  good  offices  by  the  credit  I  now  had,  or  at  least 
appeared  to  have,  at  court,  their  excellencies,  who  were 


A  VOYAGE  TO   LILLIPtTT  57 

privately  told  how  much  I  had  been  their  friend,  made 
me  a  visit  in  form.  They  began  with  many  compli- 
ments upon  my  valor  and  generosity,  invited  me  to  that 
kingdom  in  the  emperor  their  master's  name,  and  de- 
sired me  to  show  them  some  proofs  of  my  prodigious 
strength,  of  which  they  had  heard  so  many  wonders. 

When  I  had  for  some  time  entertained  their  excellen- 
cies, to  their  infinite  satisfaction  and  surprise,  I  desired 
they  would  do  me  the  honor  to  present  my  respects  to 
the  emperor  their  master,  the  renown  of  whose  virtues 
had  so  justly  filled  the  world  with  admiration,  and 
whose  royal  person  I  resolved  to  attend  before  I  re- 
turned to  my  own  country.  Accordingly,  the  next  time 
I  had  the  honor  to  see  our  emperor,  I  desired  his  gen- 
eral license  to  wait  on  the  Blefuscudian  monarch,  which 
he  was  pleased  to  grant  me,  in  a  very  cold  manner  ;  but 
could  not  guess  the  reason,  till  I  had  a  whisper  from  a 
certain  person,  that  Flimnap  and  Bolgolam  had  repre- 
sented my  intercourse  with  those  ambassadors  as  a 
mark  of  disaffection  ;  from  which  I  am  sure  my  heart 
was  wholly  free. 

It  is  to  be  observed,  that  these  ambassadors  spoke  to 
me  by  an  interpreter,  the  languages  of  both  empires  dif- 
fering as  much  from  each  other  as  any  two  in  Europe, 
and  each  nation  priding  itself  upon  the  antiquity,  beauty, 
and  energy  of  their  own  tongues,  with  an  avowed  con- 
tempt for  that  of  their  neighbor  ;  yet  our  emperor, 
standing  upon  the  advantage  he  had  got  by  the  seizure 
of  their  fleet,  obliged  them  to  deliver  their  credentials, 
and  make  their  speech  in  the  Lilliputian  tongue.     From 


58  gtjlliver's  travels 

the  great  intercourse  of  trade  and  commerce  between 
both  realms,  from  the  continual  reception  of  exiles, 
which  is  mutual  among  them,  and  from  the  custom,  in 
each  empire,  to  send  their  young  nobility  and  richer  gen- 
try to  the  other,  in  order  to  polish  themselves  by  seeing 
the  world,  and  understanding  men  and  manners,  there 
are  few  persons  of  distinction,  or  merchants,  or  seamen, 
who  dwell  in  the  maritime  parts,  but  what  can  hold  con- 
versation in  both  tongues  ;  as  I  found  some  weeks  after, 
when  I  went  to  pay  my  respects  to  the  Emperor  of  Ble- 
fuscu,  which  in  the  midst  of  great  misfortunes,  through 
the  malice  of  my  enemies,  proved  a  very  happy  adven- 
ture to  me,  as  I  shall  relate  in  its  proper  place. 

When  I  signed  those  articles  upon  which  I  recovered 
my  liberty,  there  were  some  which  I  dislike,  upon 
account  of  their  being  too  servile ;  neither  could  any- 
thing but  an  extreme  necessity  have  forced  me  to  sub- 
mit. But  being  now  a  Nardal  of  the  highest  rank  in 
that  empire,  such  offices,  were  looked  upon  as  below  my 
dignity,  and  the  emperor  never  once  mentioned  them 
to  me. 


CHAPTER  VI 

Of  the  Inhabitants  of  Lilliput ;  their  Learning,  Laws,  and  Customs  ; 
the  Manner  of  educating  their  Children  —  The  Author's  "Way  of 
living  in  that  Country  —  His  Vindication  of  a  Great  Lady. 

Although  I  intend  to  leave  the  description  of  this 
empire  to  a  particular  treatise,  yet,  in  the  meantime,  I 
am  content  to  gratify  the  curious  reader  with  some 
general  ideas.  As  the  common  size  of  the  natives  is 
somewhat  under  six  inches  high,  so  there  is  an  exact 
proportion  in  all  other  animals,  as  well  as  plants  and 
trees;  for  instance,  the  tallest  horses  and  oxen  are 
between  four  and  five  inches  in  height,  the  sheep  an 
inch  and  half,  more  or  less  ;  their  geese  about  the  big- 
ness of  a  sparrow,  and  so  the  several  gradations,  down- 
wards, till  you  come  to  the  smallest,  which,  to  my  sight, 
were  almost  invisible;  but  nature  hath  adapted  the 
eyes  of  the  Lilliputians  to  all  objects  proper  for  their 
view;  they  see  with  great  exactness,  but  at  no  great 
distance.  And  to  show  the  sharpness  of  their  sight 
toward  objects  that  are  near,  I  have  been  much  pleased 
observing  a  cook  plucking  the  feathers  from  a  lark, 
which  was  not  so  large  as  a  common  fly  :  and  a  young 
girl  threading  an  invisible  needle  with  invisible  silk. 
Their  tallest  trees  are  about  seven  feet  high  ;  I  mean 
some  of  those  in  the  great  royal  park,  the  tops  whereof 
I  could  but  just  reach  with  my  fist  clenched.  The 
other  vegetables  are  in  the  same  proportion. 


60  gulliver's  travels 

I  shall  say  but  little  of  their  learning,  which  for 
many  ages  hath  flourished  in  all  its  branches  among 
them  ;  but  their  manner  of  writing  is  very  peculiar, 
being  neither  from  the  left  to  the  right,  like  the  Euro- 
peans ;  nor  from  the  right  to  the  left,  like  the  Arabi- 
ans ;  nor  from  up  to  down  like  the  Chinese ;  but  aslant 
from  one  corner  of  the  paper  to  the  other. 

They  bury  their  dead  with  their  heads  directly  down- 
wards, because  they  hold  an  opinion,  that  in  eleven 
thousand  moons  they  are  all  to  rise  again;  in  which 
period  the  earth  (which  they  conceive  to  be  flat)  will 
turn  upside  down,  and  by  this  means  they  shall  at 
their  resurrection  be  found  ready  standing  on  their 
feet.  The  learned  among  them  confess  the  absurdity 
of  this  doctrine;  but  the  practice  still  continues,  in 
compliance  to  the  vulgar. 

Some  laws  and  customs  in  this  empire  are  very  pecul- 
iar. All  crimes  against  the  state  are  punished  here 
with  the  utmost  severity;  but,  if  the  person  accused 
makes  his  innocence  appear  upon  his  trial,  the  accuser 
is  immediately  put  to  an  ignominious  death ;  and  out 
of  his  goods  or  lands  the  innocent  person  is  quadruply 
recompensed  for  the  loss  of  his  time,  for  the  danger  he 
underwent,  for  the  hardship  of  his  imprisonment,  and 
for  all  the  charges  he  has  been  at  in  making  his  defense. 
Or,  if  that  fund  be  deficient,  it  is  largely  supplied  by 
the  crown.  The  emperor  does  also  confer  on  him  some 
public  mark  of  his  favor,  and  proclamation  is  made  of 
his  innocence  through  the  whole  city. 

They  look  upon  fraud  as  a  greater  crime  than  theft, 


62  gulliver's  travels 

and  seldom  fail  to  punish  it  with  death;  for  they 
allege,  that  care  and  vigilance  may  preserve  a  man's 
goods  from  thieves,  but  honesty  has  no  fence  against 
superior  cunning  ;  and,  since  it  is  necessary  that  there 
should  be  a  perpetual  intercourse  of  buying  and  selling, 
and  dealing  upon  credit,  where  fraud  is  permitted,  or 
hath  no  law  to  punish  it,  the  honest  dealer  is  always 
undone,  and  the  knave  gets  the  advantage.  I  remem- 
ber, when  I  was  once  interceding  with  the  king  for  a 
criminal  who  had  wronged  his  master  of  a  great  sum  of 
money,  which  he  had  received  by  order,  and  ran  away 
with;  and  happening  to  tell  his  majesty,  by  way  of 
extenuation,  that  it  was  only  a  breach  of  trust,  the  em- 
peror thought  it  monstrous  in  me  to  offer  as  a  defense 
the  greatest  aggravation  of  the  crime  ;  and  truly  I  had 
little  to  say  in  return,  further  than  the  common  answer, 
that  different  nations  had  different  customs  ;  for  I  con- 
fess I  was  heartily  ashamed. 

Although  we  usually  call  reward  and  punishment  the 
two  hinges  upon  which  all  government  turns,  yet  I  could 
never  observe  this  maxim  to  be  put  in  practice  by  any 
nation,  except  that  of  Lilliput.  Whoever  can  there 
bring  sufficient  proof,  that  he  has  strictly  observed  the 
laws  of  his  country  for  seventy-three  moons,  hath  a  claim 
to  certain  privileges,  according  to  his  quality  and  con- 
dition of  life,  with  a  proportionate  sum  of  money,  out  of 
a  fund  appropriated  for  that  use  ;  he  likewise  acquires 
the  title  of  legal,  which  is  added  to  his  name,  but  does 
not  descend  to  his  posterity.  And  these  people  thought 
it  a  great  defect  of  policy  among  us.  when  I  told  them 


'A  VOYAGE  TO   LILLIPtTT  6S 

that  our  laws  were  enforced  only  by  penalties,  without 
any  mention  of  reward.  It  is  upon  this  account  that  the 
image  of  Justice,  in  their  courts,  is  formed  with  six  eyes, 
two  before,  as  many  behind,  and  on  each  side  one,  to 
signify  circumspection ;  with  a  bag  of  gold  open  in  her 
right  hand,  and  a  sword  sheathed  in  her  left,  to  show 
she  is  more  disposed  to  reward  than  to  punish. 

In  choosing  persons  for  all  employments,  they  have 
more  regard  to  good  morals  than  to  great  abilities ;  for 
since  government  is  necessary  to  mankind,  they  believe 
that  the  ordinary  understanding  is  fitted  to  some  station 
or  other ;  and  that  Providence  never  intended  to  make 
the  management  of  public  affairs  a  mystery  to  be  com- 
prehended only  by  a  few  persons  of  sublime  genius,  of 
which  there  seldom  are  three  born  in  an  age  :  but  they 
suppose  truth,  justice,  temperance,  and  the  like,  to  be 
in  every  man's  power;  the  practice  of  which  virtues, 
assisted  by  experience  and  a  good  intention,  would 
qualify  any  man  for  the  service  of  his  country,  except 
where  a  course  of  study  is  required.  But  they  thought 
the  want  of  moral  virtues  was  so  far  from  being  supplied 
by  superior  endowments  of  the  mind,  that  employments 
could  never  be  put  into  such  dangerous  hands  as  those 
of  persons  so  qualified;  and  at  least,  that  the  mistakes 
committed  by  ignorance,  in  a  virtuous  disposition,  would 
never  be  of  such  fatal  consequence  to  the  public  weal, 
as  the  practices  of  a  man  whose  inclinations  led  him  to 
be  corrupt,  and  had  great  abilities  to  manage,  and  multi- 
ply, and  defend,  his  corruptions. 

In  like  manner,  this  disbelief  of  a  Divine  Providence 


64  gulliver's  travels 

renders  a  man  incapable  of  holding  public  station ;  for, 
since  kings  avow  themselves  to  be  the  deputies  of  Provi- 
dence, the  Lilliputians  think  nothing  can  be  more  absurd 
than  for  a  prince  to  employ  such  men  as  disown  the 
authority  under  which  he  acts. 

In  relating  these  and  the  following  laws,  I  would  only 
be  understood  to  mean  the  original  institutions,  and  not 
the  most  scandalous  corruptions,  into  which  these  people 
are  fallen  by  the  degenerate  nature  of  man.  For,  as  to 
that  infamous  practice  of  acquiring  great  employments 
by  dancing  on  the  ropes  or  badges  of  favor  and  distinc- 
tion by  leaping  over  sticks  and  creeping  under  them, 
they  were  first  introduced  by  the  grandfather  of  the 
emperor  now  reigning,  and  grew  to  the  present  height 
by  the  gradual  increase  of  party  and  faction. 

Ingratitude  is  among  them  a  capital  crime ;  for  they 
reason  thus,  that  whoever  makes  ill  returns  to  his  bene- 
factor, must  needs  be  a  common  enemy  to  the  rest  of 
mankind,  from  whom  he  hath  received  no  obligation, 
and  therefore  such  a  man  is  not  fit  to  live. 

Their  notions  relating  to  the  duties  of  parents  and 
children  differ  extremely  from  ours.  Their  opinion  is, 
that  parents  are  the  last  of  all  others  to  be  trusted  with 
the  education  of  their  own  children  ;  therefore,  they 
have  in  every  town  public  nurseries,  where  all  parents, 
except  cottagers  and  laborers,  are  obliged  to  send  their 
infants  of  both  sexes  to  be  reared  and  educated,  when 
they  come  to  the  age  of  twenty  moons,  at  which  time 
they  are  supposed  to  have  some  rudiments  of  docility. 
These  schools  are  of  several  kinds,  suited  to  different 


A  VOYAGE  TO  LILLIPtTT  65 

qualities,  and  to  both  sexes.  They  have  professors,  well 
skilled  in  preparing  children  for  such  a  condition  of  life 
as  befits  the  rank  of  their  parents,  and  their  own  capaci- 
ties, as  well  as  inclinations.  I  shall  first  say  something 
of  the  male  nurseries,  and  then  of  the  female. 

The  nurseries  for  males  of  noble  or  eminent  birth, 
are  provided  with  grave  and  learned  professors,  and 
their  several  deputies.  The  clothes  and  food  of  the 
children  are  plain  and  simple.  They  are  bred  up  in  the 
principles  of  honor,  justice,  courage,  modesty,  clemency, 
religion,  and  love  of  their  country ;  they  are  always  em- 
ployed in  some  business,  except  in-  the  times  of  eating 
and  sleeping,  which  are  very  short,  and  two  hours  for 
diversions  consisting  of  bodily  exercises.  They  are 
dressed  by  men  till  four  years  of  age,  and  then  are 
obliged  to  dress  themselves,  although  their  rank  be  ever 
so  great ;  and  the  women  attendants,  who  are  aged  pro- 
portionably  to  ours  of  fifty,  perform  only  the  most  menial 
offices.  They  are  never  suffered  to  converse  with  ser- 
vants, but  go  together,  in  smaller  or  greater  numbers, 
to  take  their  diversions,  and  always  in  the  presence  of 
a  professor,  or  one  of  his  deputies ;  whereby  they  avoid 
those  early  bad  impressions  of  folly  and  vice,  to  which 
our  children  are  subject.  Their  parents  see  them  only 
twice  a  year ;  the  visit  is  to  last  but  an  hour ;  they  are 
allowed  to  kiss  the  child  at  meeting  and  parting ;  but  a 
professor,  who  always  stands  by  on  those  occasions,  will 
not  suffer  them  to  whisper,  or  use  any  fondling  expres- 
sions, or  bring  any  presents  or  toys,  sweetmeats,  and  the 
like. 


66  Gulliver's  travels 

The  pension  from  each  family  for  the  education  and. 
entertainment  of  a  child,  upon  failure  of  due  payment, 
is  levied  by  the  emperor's  officers. 

The  nurseries  for  children  of  ordinary  gentlemen, 
merchants,  traders,  and  handicrafts  are  managed  pro- 
portionally after  the  same  manner ;  only  those  designed 
for  trades  are  put  out  apprentices  at  eleven  years  old ; 
whereas  those  of  persons  of  quality  continue  in  their 
nurseries  till  fifteen,  which  answers  to  one-and-twenty 
with  us  :  but  the  confinement  is  gradually  lessened  for 
the  last  three  years. 

In  the  female  nurseries,  the  young  girls  of  quality  are 
educated  much  like  the  males,  only  they  are  dressed  by 
orderly  servants  of  their  own  sex  ;  but  always  in  the 
presence  of  a  professor  or  deputy,  till  they  come  to 
dress  themselves,  which  is  at  five  years  old.  And  if  it 
be  found,  that  these  nurses  ever  presume  to  entertain 
the  girls  with  frightful  or  foolish  stories,  they  are  pub- 
licly whipped  thrice  about  the  city,  imprisoned  for  a 
year,  and  banished  for  life  to  the  most  desolate  part  of 
the  country.  Thus  the  young  ladies  there  are  as  much 
ashamed  of  being  cowards  and  fools  as  the  men  ;  and 
despise  all  personal  ornaments,  beyond  decency  and 
cleanliness  :  neither  did  I  perceive  any  difference  in 
their  education,  made  by  their  difference  of  sex,  only 
that  the  exercises  of  the  females  were  not  altogether  so 
robust  ;  and  that  some  rules  were  given  them  relating 
to  domestic  life,  and  a  smaller  compass  of  learning  was 
enjoined  them  :  for  the  maxim  is,  that  among  people  of 
quality,  a  wife  should  be  always  a  reasonable  and  agree- 


A  VOYAGE  TO   LILLIPUT  67 

able  companion,  because  she  cannot  always  be  young. 
When  the  girls  are  twelve  years  old,  which  among  them 
is  the  marriageable  age,  their  parents  or  guardians  take 
them  home,  with  great  expressions  of  gratitude  to  the 
professors,  and  seldom  without  tears  of  the  young  lady 
and  her  companions. 

In  the  nurseries  of  females  of  the  meaner  sort,  the 
children  are  instructed  in  all  kinds  of  works  proper  for 
their  sex,  and  their  several  degrees  :  those  intended  for 
apprentices  are  dismissed  at  seven  years  old,  the  rest 
are  kept  to  eleven. 

The  meaner  families,  who  have  children  at  these  nurs- 
eries, are  obliged,  beside  their  annual  pension,  which  is 
as  low  as  possible,  to  return  to  the  steward  of  the  nursery 
a  small  monthly  share  of  their  gettings,  to  be  a  portion 
for  the  child;  and  therefore  all  parents  are  limited  in 
their  expenses  by  the  law.  For  the  Lilliputians  think 
nothing  can  be  more  unjust,  than  for  people  to  bring 
children  into  the  world,  and  leave  the  burden  of  sup- 
porting them  on  the  public.  As  to  persons  of  quality, 
they  give  security  to  appropriate  a  certain  sum  for  each 
child,  suitable  to  their  condition ;  and  these  funds  are 
always  managed  with  good  husbandry,  and  the  most 
exact  justice. 

The  cottagers  and  laborers  keep  their  children  at 
home,  their  business  being  only  to  till  and  cultivate  the 
earth,  and  therefore  their  education  is  of  little  conse- 
quence to  the  public :  but  the  old  and  diseased  among 
them  are  supported  by  hospitals ;  for  begging  is  a  trade 
unknown  in  this  kingdom. 


68  Gulliver's  travels 

And  here  it  may  perhaps  divert  the  curious  reader,  to 
give  some  account  of  my  domestic  affairs,  and  my  man- 
ner of  living  in  this  country,  during  a  residence  of  nine 
months  and  thirteen  days.  Having  a  turn  for  mechanics, 
and  being  forced  by  necessity,  I  had  made  myself  a  table 
and  chair,  convenient  enough,  out  of  the  largest  trees  in 
the  royal  park.  Two  hundred  seamstresses  were  em- 
ployed to  make  me  shirts  and  linen  for  my  bed  and  table, 
all  of  the  strongest  and  coarsest  kind  they  could  get ; 
which,  however,  they  were  forced  to  quilt  together  in 
several  folds,  for  the  thickest  was  some  degrees  finer 
than  lawn.  Their  linen  is  usually  three  inches  wide, 
and  three  feet  make  a  piece.  The  seamstresses  took 
my  measure  as  I  lay  on  the  ground,  one  standing  at  my 
neck,  and  another  at  my  mid-leg,  with  a  strong  cord 
extended,  that  each  held  by  the  end,  while  the  third 
measured  the  length  of  the  cord  with  a  rule  of  an  inch 
long.  Then  they  measured  my  right  tihunib,  and  desired 
no  more  ;  for,  by  a  mathematical  computation,  that  twice 
round  the  thumb  is  once  round  the  wrist,  and  so  on  to 
the  neck  and  the  waist,  and  by  the  help  of  my  old  shirt, 
which  I  displayed  on  the  ground  before  them  for  a  pat- 
tern, they  fitted  me  exactly.  Three  hundred  tailors 
were  employed  in  the  same  manner  to  make  me  clothes ; 
but  they  had  another  contrivance  for  taking  my  measure. 
I  kneeled  down,  and  they  raised  a  ladder  from  the  ground 
to  my  neck ;  upon  this  ladder  one  of  them  mounted,  and 
let  fall  a  plumb-line  from  my  collar  to  the  floor,  which 
just  answered  the  length  of  my  coat ;  but  my  waist  and 
arms  I  measured  myself.    When  my  clothes  were  finished, 


A  VOYAGE  TO   LILLIPUT  69 

which  was  done  in  my  house  (for  the  largest  of  theirs 
would  not  have  been  able  to  hold  them),  they  looked 
like  the  patchwork  made  by  the  ladies  in  England,  only 
that  mine  were  all  of  a  color. 

I  had  three  hundred  cooks  to  dress  my  victuals,  in 
little  convenient  huts  built  about  my  house,  where  they 
and  their  families  lived,  and  prepared  me  two  dishes 
a-piece.  I  took  up  twenty  waiters  in  my  hand,  and 
placed  them  on  the  table ;  an  hundred  more  attended 
below  on  the  ground,  some  with  dishes  of  meat,  and 
some  with  barrels  of  wine  and  other  liquors  slung  on 
their  shoulders ;  all  which  the  waiters  above  drew  up,  as 
I  wanted,  in  a  very  ingenious  manner,  by  certain  cords, 
as  we  draw  the  bucket  up  a  well.  A  dish  of  their  meat 
was  a  good  mouthful,  and  a  barrel  of  their  liquor  a  reason- 
able draught.  Their  mutton  yields  to  ours,  but  their 
beef  is  excellent.  I  have  had  a  sirloin  so  large,  that  I 
have  been  forced  to  make  three  bites  of  it :  but  this  is 
rare.  My  servants  were  astonished  to  see  me  eat  it, 
bones  and  all,  as  in  our  country  we  do  the  leg  of  a  lark. 
Their  geese  and  turkeys  I  usually  eat  at  a  mouthful,  and 
I  must  confess  they  far  exceed  ours.  Of  their  smaller 
fowl  I  could  take  up  twenty  or  thirty  at  the  end  of  my 
knife. 

One  day  his  imperial  majesty,  being  informed  of  my 
way  of  living,  desired  that  himself  and  his  royal  consort, 
with  the  young  princes  of  the  blood  of  both  sexes,  might 
have  the  happiness,  as  he  was  pleased  to  call  it,  of  dining 
with  me.  They  came  accordingly,  and  I  placed  them 
upon  chairs  of  state,  upon  my  table  just  over  against 


70  gtjlliver's  travels 

me,  with  their  guards  about  them.  Flimnap,  the  lord 
high  treasurer,  attended  there  likewise  with  his  white 
staff ;  and  I  observed  he  often  looked  on  me  with  a  sour 
countenance,  which  I  would  not  seem  to  regard,  but  eat 
more  than  usual,  in  honor  to  my  dear  country,  as  well 
as  to  fill  the  court  with  admiration.  That  minister  had 
always  been  my  secret  enemy,  though  he  outwardly 
caressed  me  more  than  usual  to  the  moroseness  of  his 
nature.  He  represented  to  the  emperor  the  low  condi- 
tion of  his  treasury  ;  that  he  was  forced  to  take  up  money 
at  great  discount ;  that  exchequer  bills  would  not  circu- 
late under  nine  per  cent,  below  par ;  that,  in  short,  I  had 
cost  his  majesty  above  a  million  and  a  half  of  sprugs  (their 
greatest  gold  coin,  about  the  bigness  of  a  spangle) ;  and, 
upon  the  whole,  that  it  would  be  advisable  in  the  emperor 
to  take  the  first  fair  occasion  of  dismissing  me. 

I  am  here  obliged  to  vindicate  the  reputation  of  an  excel- 
lent lady,  who  was  an  innocent  sufferer  upon  my  account. 
The  treasurer  took  a  fancy  to  be  jealous  of  his  wife,  from 
the  malice  of  some  evil  tongues,  who  informed  him  that 
her  grace  had  taken  a  violent  affection  for  my  person ; 
and  the  court  scandal  ran  for  some  time,  that  she  once 
came  privately  to  my  lodging.  This  was  a  most  infa- 
mous falsehood,  without  any  grounds,  further  than  that 
her  grace  was  pleased  to  treat  me  with  all  innocent  marks 
of  freedom  and  friendship.  I  own  she  came  often  to  my 
house,  but  always  publicly,  nor  ever  without  three  more 
in  the  coach,  who  were  usually  her  sister  and  young 
daughter,  and  some  particular  acquaintance :  but  this 
was  common  to  many  other  ladies  of  the  court.     And  I 


72  gulliver's  travels 

still  appeal  to  my  servants  round,  whether  they  at  any 
time  saw  a  coach  at  my  door,  without  knowing  what  per- 
sons were  in  it.  On  those  occasions,  when  a  servant  had 
given  me  notice,  my  custom  was  to  go  to  the  door ;  and, 
after  paying  my  respects,  to  take  up  the  coach  and  two 
horses  very  carefully  in  my  hands  (for  if  there  were  six 
horses,  the  postilion  always  unharnessed  four),  and  place 
them  on  a  table,  where  I  had  fixed  a  movable  rim  quite 
round,  of  five  inches  high,  to  prevent  accidents.  And  I 
have  often  had  four  coaches  and  horses  at  once  on  my 
table,  full  of  company ;  and  when  I  was  engaged  with 
one  set,  the  coachman  would  gently  drive  the  others 
round  my  table.  I  have  passed  many  an  afternoon  very 
agreeably  in  these  conversations.  But  I  defy  the  treas- 
urer to  prove  that  any  person  ever  came  to  me  incognito, 
except  the  secretary,  who  was  sent  by  command  of  his 
majesty,  as  I  have  before  related.  I  should  not  have 
dwelt  so  long  upon  this  particular,  if  it  had  not  been  a 
point  wherein  the  reputation  of  a  great  lady  is  so  nearly 
concerned,  to  say  nothing  of  my  own;  though  I  had  then 
the  honor  to  be  a  Nardal,  which  the  treasurer  himself  is 
not.  His  title  was  inferior  to  mine  by  one  degree,  as 
that  of  a  marquis  is  to  a  duke  in  England.  These  false 
informations,  which  I  afterwards  came  to  the  knowledge 
of  by  an  accident  not  proper  to  mention,  made  Flimnap 
the  treasurer  show  his  lady  for  some  time  an  ill  counte- 
nance, and  me  a  worse  ;  and  although  he  was  at  last  un- 
deceived and  reconciled  to  her,  yet  I  lost  all  credit  with 
him,  and  found  my  interest  decline  very  fast  with  the 
emperor  himself,  who  was  much  governed  by  that  favorite. 


CHAPTER  VII 

The  Author,  being  informed  of  a  Design  to  accuse  him  of  High-treason, 
makes  his  Escape  to  Blefuscu  —  His  Reception  there. 

Before  giving  an  account  of  my  leaving  this  kingdom, 
it  may  be  proper  to  inform  the  reader  of  a  private  in- 
trigue, which  had  been  for  two  months  forming  against 
me.  I  had  been  hitherto  a  stranger  to  courts.  I  had 
indeed  heard  and  read  enough  of  the  dispositions  of  great 
princes  and  ministers ;  but  never  expected  to  have  found 
such  terrible  effects  of  them,  in  so  remote  a  country,  gov- 
erned as  I  thought,  by  very  different  maxims  from  those 
in  Europe. 

When  I  was  just  preparing  to  pay  my  attendance  on 
the  Emperor  of  Blefuscu,  a  considerable  person  at  court 
(to  whom  I  had  been  very  serviceable  at  a  time  when  he 
lay  under  the  highest  displeasure  of  his  imperial  majesty) 
came  to  my  house  very  privately  at  night,  in  a  close  chair, 
and,  without  sending  his  name,  desired  admittance.  The 
chairmen  were  dismissed  ;  I  put  the  chair,  with  his  lord- 
ship in  it,  into  my  coat-pocket ;  and  giving  orders  to  a 
trusty  servant  to  say  I  was  indisposed  and  gone  to  sleep, 

73 


74  gulliver's  travels 

I  fastened  tlie  door  of  my  house,  placed  the  chair  on  the 
table,  according  to  my  usual  custom,  and  sat  down  by  it. 
After  the  common  salutations  were  over,  observing  his 
lordship's  countenance  full  of  concern,  and  inquiring  into 
the  reason,  he  desired  I  would  hear  him  with  patience,  in 
a  matter  that  highly  concerned  my  honor  and  my  life. 
His  speech  was  to  the  following  effect,  for  I  took  notes 
of  it  as  soon  as  he  left  me  :  — 

"  You  are  to  know,"  said  he,  "  that  several  committees 
of  council  have  been  called  on  your  account ;  and  it  is 
but  two  days  since  his  majesty  came  to  a  full  resolution. 

"  You  are  very  sensible  that  Skyresh  Bolgolam,  the 
high  admiral,  hath  been  your  mortal  enemy  almost  ever 
since  your  arrival.  His  original  reasons  I  know  not ; 
but  his  hatred  is  much  increased  since  your  great  suc- 
cess against  Blefuscu,  by  which  his  glory  as  admiral  is 
obscured.  This  lord,  in  conjunction  with  Flimnap  the 
high  treasurer,  whose  enmity  against  you  is  notorious 
on  account  of  his  lady,  Limtoc  the  general,  Lalcon  the 
chamberlain,  and  Balmuff  the  grand  justiciary,  have  pre- 
pared articles  of  impeachment  against  you,  for  treason 
and  other  capital  crimes." 

This  preface  made  me  so  impatient,  being  conscious 
of  my  own  merits  and  innocence,  that  I  was  going  to 
interrupt,  when  he  intreated  me  to  be  silent,  and  thus 
proceeded :  — 

"Out  of  gratitude  for  the  favors  you  have  done  me, 
I  procured  information  of  the  whole  proceedings,  and  a 
copy  of  the  articles  ;  wherein  I  risked  my  head  for  your 
service. 


A  VOYAGE  TO  LILLIPUT  75 

"  Articles  of  Impeachment  against  Quinbus  Flestrin,  the 
Man-Mountain 

"  Article  1.  —  That  the  said  Quinbus  Flestrin,  having 
brought  the  imperial  fleet  of  Blefuscu  into  the  royal  port, 
and  being  afterwards  commanded  by  his  imperial  maj- 
esty to  seize  all  the  other  ships  of  the  said  empire .  of 
Blefuscu,  and  reduce  that  empire  to  a  province,  to  be 
governed  by  a  viceroy  from  hence,  and  to  destroy  and 
put  to  death,  not  only  all  the  Bigendian  exiles,  but  like- 
wise all  the  people  of  that  empire  who  would  not  im- 
mediately forsake  the  Bigendian  heresy;  he,  the  said 
Flestrin,  like  a  false  traitor  against  his  most  auspicious, 
serene,  imperial  majesty,  did  petition  to  be  excused  from 
the  said  service,  upon  pretense  of  unwillingness  to  force 
the  consciences,  or  destroy  the  liberties  and  lives,  of  an 
innocent  people. 

"  Article  2.  —  That,  whereas  certain  ambassadors  ar- 
rived from  the  court  of  Blefuscu,  to  sue  for  peace  in  his 
majesty's  court ;  he,  the  said  Flestrin,  did,  like  a  false 
traitor,  aid,  abet,  comfort,  and  divert  the  said  ambassa- 
dors, although  he  knew  them  to  be  servants  to  a  prince 
who  was  lately  an  open  enemy  to  his  imperial  majesty, 
and  in  open  war  against  his  said  majesty. 

"  Article  3.  —  That  the  said  Quinbus  Flestrin,  con- 
trary to  the  duty  of  a  faithful  subject,  is  now  preparing 
to  make  a  visit  to  the  court  and  empire  of  Blefuscu.,  for 
which  he  hath  received  only  verbal  license  from  his  im- 
perial majesty ;  and,  under  color  of  the  said  license,  doth 
falsely  and  traitorously  intend  to  take  the  said  voyage, 


76  GULLIVER'S   TRAVELS 

and  thereby  to  aid,  comfort,  and  abet  the  Emperor  of 
Blefuscu,  so  late  an  enemy,  and  in  open  war  with  his 
imperial  majesty  aforesaid. 

"  There  are  some  other  articles ;  but  these  are  the  most 
important,  of  which  I  have  read  you  an  abstract.  In  the 
several  debates  upon  this  impeachment,  it  must  be  con- 
fessed that  his  majesty  gave  many  marks  of  his  great 
lenity ;  often  urging  the  services  you  had  done  him,  and 
endeavoring  to  extenuate  your  crimes.  The  treasurer 
and  admiral  insisted  that  you  should  be  put  to  the  most 
painful  and  ignominious  death,  by  setting  fire  to  your 
house  at  night ;  and  the  general  was  to  attend  with 
twenty  thousand  men,  armed  with  poisoned  arrows,  to 
shoot  you  on  the  face  and  hands.  Some  of  your  servants 
were  to  have  private  orders  to  strew  a  poisonous  juice 
on  your  shirts,  which  would  soos  make  you  tear  your 
own  flesh,  and  die  in  the  utmost  torture.  The  general 
came  ilito  the  same  opinion ;  so  that  for  a  long  time  there 
was  a  majority  against  you ;  but  his  majesty  resolving, 
if  possible,  to  spare  your  life,  at  last  brought  off  the 
chamberlain. 

"  Upon  this  incident  the  principal  secretary  for  private 
affairs,  who  always  approved  himself  your  true  friend, 
was  commanded  by  the  emperor  to  deliver  his  opinion, 
which  he  accordingly  did ;  and  therein  justified  the  good 
thoughts  you  have  of  him.  He  allowed  your  crimes  to 
be  great,  but  that  still  there  was  room  for  mercy,  the 
most  commendable  virtue  in  a  prince,  and  for  which  his 
majesty  was  so  justly  celebrated.  He  said,  the  friend- 
ship between  you  and  him  was  so  well  known  to  the 


A  VOYAGE  TO   LILLIPUT  77 

world,  that  perhaps  the  most  honorable  board  might 
think  him  partial ;  however,  in  obedience  to  the  com- 
mand he  had  received,  he  would  freely  offer  his  senti- 
ments. That  if  his  majesty,  in  consideration  of  your 
services,  would  please  to  spare  your  life,  and  only  give 
order  to  put  out  both  your  eyes,  he  humbly  conceived 
that,  by  this  expedient,  justice  might  in  some  measure 
be  satisfied,  and  all  the  world  would  applaud  the  len- 
ity of  the  emperor,  as  well  as  the  fair  and  generous 
proceedings  of  those  who  have  the  honor  to  be  his 
counselors.  That  the  loss  of  your  eyes  would  be  no 
impediment  to  your  bodily  strength,  by  which  you 
might  still  be  useful  to  his  majesty  ;  that  blindness 
is  an  addition  to  courage,  by  concealing  dangers  from 
us ;  that  the  fear  you  had  for  your  eyes  was  the  great- 
est difficulty  in  bringing  over  the  enemy's  fleet;  and  it 
would  be  sufficient  for  you  to  see  by  the  eyes  of  the 
ministers,  since  the  greatest  princes  do  no  more. 

"  This  proposal  was  received  with  the  utmost  disap- 
probation by  the  whole  board.  The  admiral  could  not 
preserve  his  temper ;  but,  rising  up  in  fury,  said,  he 
wondered  how  the  secretary  dared  presume  to  give  his 
opinion  for  preserving  the  life  of  a  traitor ;  that  the  ser- 
vices you  had  performed  were,  by  all  true  reasons  of 
state,  the  great  aggravation  of  your  crimes ;  that  the 
same  strength,  which  enabled  you  to  bring  over  the 
enemy's  fleet,  might  serve,  upon  the  first  discontent,  to 
carry  it  back ;  that  he  had  good  reasons  to  think  you 
were  a  Bigendian  in  your  heart ;  and,  as  treason  begins 
in  the  heart,  before  it  appears  in  overt  acts,  so  he  ac- 


T8  gulliver's  travels 

cused  you  as  a  traitor  on  that  account,  and  therefore 
insisted  you  should  be  put  to  death. 

"  The  treasurer  was  of  the  same  opinion.  He  showed 
to  what  straits  his  majesty's  revenue  was  reduced  by 
maintaining  you,  which  would  soon  grow  insupportable  ; 


that  the  secretary's  expedient  of  putting  out  your  eyes 
was  so  far  from  being  a  remedy  against  this  evil,  that  it 
would  probably  increase  it,  as  is  manifest  from  the  com- 
mon practice  of  blinding  some  kind  of  fowls,  after  which 
they  fed  the  faster,  and  grew  sooner  fat ;  that  his  majesty 


A  VOYAGE   TO    LILLIPUT  79 

ancl  tuvj  council,  who  are  your  judges,  were  in  their  own 
consciences  fully  convinced  of  your  guilt,  which  was  a 
sufficient  argument  to  condemn  you  to  death,  without 
the  formal  proofs  required  by  the  strict  letter  of  the  law. 

"But  his  majesty,  fully  determined  against  capital 
punishment,  said  that  since  the  council  thought  the 
loss  of  your  eyes  too  easy  a  censure,  some  other  may  be 
inflicted  hereafter.  And  your  friend,  the  secretary, 
humbly  desiring  to  be  heard  again,  in  answer  to  what 
the  treasurer  had  objected,  concerning  the  great  charge 
his  majesty  was  at  in  maintaining  you,  said,  that  his 
excellency,  who  had  the  sole  disposal  of  the  emperor's 
revenue,  might  easily  provide  against  that  evil,  by 
gradually  lessening  your  establishment  ;  by  which,  for 
want  of  sufficient  food,  you  would  grow  weak  and 
faint,  and  lose  your  appetite,  and  consequently  decay 
and  consume  in  a  few  months.  Neither  would  the 
stench  of  your  carcass  be  then  so  dangerous,  when  it 
should  become  more  than  half  diminished  ;  and,  im- 
mediately upon  your  death,  five  or  six  thousand  of  his 
majesty's  subjects,  might,  in  two  or  three  days,  cut 
your  flesh  from  your  bones,  take  it  away  by  cartloads, 
and  bury  it  in  distant  parts,  to  prevent  infection,  leaving 
the  skeleton  as  a  monument  of  admiration  to  posterity. 

"  Thus,  by  the  great  friendship  of  the  secretary,  the 
whole  affair  was  compromised.  It  was  strictly  en- 
joined that  the  project  of  starving  you  by  degrees 
should  be  kept  a  secret  :  but  the  sentence  of  putting 
out  your  eyes  was  entered  on  the  books  ;  none  dissent- 
ing except  the  admiral,  who,  being  a  creature  of  the 


80  gxjlliver's  travels 

empress,  was  perpetually  instigated  by  her  majesty  to 
insist  upon  your  death. 

"In  three  days  your  friend  the  secretary  will  be 
directed  to  come  to  your  house,  and  read  before  you 
the  articles  of  impeachment ;  and  then  to  signify  the 
great  lenity  and  favor  of  his  majesty  and  council, 
whereby  you  are  only  condemned  to  the  loss  of  your 
eyes,  which  his  majesty  doth  not  question  you  will 
humbly  submit  to  ;  and  twenty  of  his  majesty's  sur- 
geons will  attend,  in  order  to  see  the  operation  well 
performed,  by  discharging  very  sharp-pointed  arrows 
into  the  balls  of  your  eyes,  as  you  lie  on  the  ground. 

"  I  leave  to  your  prudence  what  measures  you  will 
take  ;  and,  to  avoid  suspicion,  I  must  immediately  re- 
turn in  as  private  a  manner  as  I  came." 

His  lordship  did  so  ;  and  I  remained  alone,  under 
many  doubts  and  perplexities  of  mind. 

It  was  a  custom  introduced  by  this  prince  and  his 
ministry  —  very  different,  as  I  have  been  assured,  from 
the  practices  of  former  times  —  that  after  the  court 
had  decreed  any  cruel  execution,  either  to  gratify  the 
monarch's  resentment,  or  the  malice  of  a  favorite,  the 
emperor  made  a  speech  to  his  whole  council,  expressing 
his  great  lenity  and  tenderness,  as  qualities  known  and 
confessed  by  all  the  world.  This  speech  was  published 
through  the  kingdom  ;  nor  did  anything  terrify  the 
people  so  much  as  those  encomiums  on  his  majesty's 
mercy ;  because  it  was  observed,  that  the  more  these 
praises  were  enlarged  and  insisted  on,  the  more  in- 
human was   the   punishment,    and   the   sufferer   more 


A   VOYAGE   TO   LILLIPUT  81 

innocent.  And,  as  to  myself,  having  never  been  de- 
signed for  a  courtier,  either  by  my  birth  or  education, 
I  was  so  ill  a  judge  of  things,  that  I  could  not  discover 
the  lenity  and  favor  of  this  sentence,  but  conceived  it 
rather  to  be  rigorous  than  gentle.  I  sometimes  thought 
of  standing  my  trial ;  for,  although  I  could  not  deny  the 
facts  alleged  in  the  several  articles,  yet  I  hoped  they 
would  admit  of  some  extenuations.  But,  having  in  my 
life  perused  many  state  trials,  which  I  ever  observed  to 
terminate  as  the  judges  thought  fit  to  direct,  I  dared  not 
rely  on  so  dangerous  a  decision,  in  so  critical  a  juncture, 
and  against  such  powerful  enemies.  Once  I  was  strongly 
bent  upon  resistance ;  for  while  I  had  liberty,  the  whole 
strength  of  that  empire  could  hardly  subdue  me,  and  I 
might  easily  with  stones  pelt  the  metropolis  to  pieces  ; 
but  I  soon  rejected  that  project  with  horror,  by  re- 
membering the  oath  I  had  made  to  the  emperor,  the 
favors  I  received  from  him,  and  the  high  title  of  Nardal 
he  conferred  upon  me.  Neither  had  I  so  soon  learned 
the  gratitude  of  courtiers,  to  persuade  myself  that  his 
majesty's  present  severities  acquitted  me  of  all  past 
obligations. 

At  last  I  fixed  upon  a  resolution,  for  which  it  is 
probable  I  may  incur  some  censure,  and  not  unjustly ; 
for  I  confess  I  owe  the  preserving  my  eyes,  and  con- 
sequently my  liberty,  to  my  own  great  rashness  and 
want  of  experience  ;  because,  if  I  had  then  known  the 
nature  of  princes  and  ministers,  which  I  have  since 
observed  in  many  other  courts,  and  their  methods  of 
treating  criminals  less  obnoxious  than  myself,  I  should, 


82  GULLIVER'S   TRAVELS 

with  great  alacrity  and  readiness,  have  submitted  to  so 
easy  a  punishment.  But,  hurried  on  by  youth,  and 
having  his  imperial  majesty's  license  to  pay  my  attend- 
ance upon  the  Emperor  of  Blef  uscu,  I  took  this  oppor- 
tunity, before  the  three  days  were  elapsed,  to  send  a 


letter  to  my  friend  the  secretary,  signifying  my  resolu- 
tion of  setting  out  that  morning  for  Blefuscu,  pursuant 
to  the  leave  I  had  got ;  and,  without  waiting  for  an 
answer,  I  went  to  that  side  of  the  island  where  our  fleet 
lay.     I  seized  a  large  man-of-war,  tied  a  cable  to  the 


A   VOYAGE   TO   LILLIPUT  83 

prow,  and,  lifting  up  the  anchors,  I  stripped  myself,  put 
my  clothes  into  the  vessel,  and,  drawing  it  after  me, 
between  wading  and  swimming,  arrived  at  the  royal 
port  of  Blefuscu,  where  the  people  had  long  expected 
me :  they  lent  me  two  guides  to  direct  me  to  the  capi- 
tal city.  I  held  them  in  my  hands,  till  I  came  within 
two  hundred  yards  of  the  gate,  and  desired  them  to 
signify  my  arrival  to  one  of  the  secretaries,  and  let  him 
know  I  there  waited  his  majesty's  commands.  I  had 
an  answer  in  about  an  hour,  that  his  majesty  was 
coming  out  to  receive  me.  I  advanced  a  hundred  yards. 
The  emperor  and  his  train  alighted  from  their  horses  ; 
the  empress  and  ladies  from  their  coaches.  I  lay  on 
the  ground  to  kiss  his  majesty's  and  the  empress's 
hand.  I  told  his  majesty  that  I  was  come,  according 
to  my  promise,  and  with  the  license  of  the  emperor,  my 
master,  to  have  the  honor  of  seeing  so  mighty  a  mon- 
arch, and  to  offer  him  any  service  in  my  power,  con- 
sistent with  my  duty  to  my  own  prince  ;  not  mentioning 
a  word  of  my  disgrace,  because  I  had  hitherto  no  regu- 
lar information  of  it,  and  might  suppose  myself  wholly 
ignorant  of  any  such  design  ;  neither  could  I  reason- 
ably conceive  that  the  emperor  would  discover  the 
secret,  while  I  was  out  of  his  power  ;  wherein,  however, 
it  soon  appeared  I  was  deceived. 

I  shall  not  trouble  the  reader  with  the  particular  ac- 
count of  my  reception  at  this  court,  which  was  suitable 
to  the  generosity  of  so  great  a  prince ;  nor  of  the  diffi- 
culties I  was  in  for  want  of  a  house  and  bed,  being  forced 
to  lie  on  the  ground,  wrapped  up  in  my  coverlet. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

The  Author,  by  a  Lucky  Accident,  finds  Means  to  leave  Blefuscu ;  and 
after  Some  Difficulties,  returns  safe  to  his  Native  Country. 

Theee  days  after  my  arrival,  walking  out  of  curiosity 
to  the  north-east  coast  of  the  island,  I  observed,  about 
half  a  league  off  in  the  sea,  somewhat  that  looked  like  a 
boat  overturned.  I  pulled  off  my  shoes  and  stockings, 
and,  wading  two  or  three  hundred  yards,  I  found  the 
object  to  approach  nearer  by  force  of  the  tide ;  and  then 
plainly  saw  it  to  be  a  real  boat,  which  I  supposed  might 
by  some  tempest  have  been  driven  from  a  ship  :  where- 
upon I  returned  immediately  towards  the  city,  and  de- 
sired his  imperial  majesty  to  lend  me  twenty  of  the  tallest 
vessels  he  had  left,  after  the  loss  of  his  fleet,  and  three 
thousand  seamen,  under  the  command  of  the  vice-admi- 
ral. This  fleet  sailed  round,  while  I  went  back  the 
shortest  way  to  the  coast,  where  I  first  discovered  the 
boat.  I  found  the  tide  had  driven  it  still  nearer.  The 
seamen  were  all  provided  with  cordage,  which  I  had 
twisted  to  a  sufficient  strength.  When  the  ships  came 
up,  I  stripped  myself,  and  waded  till  I  came  within  a 
hundred  yards  of  the  boat,  after  which  I  was  forced  to 
swim  till  I  got  up  to  it.  The  seamen  threw  me  the  end 
of  the  cord,  which  I  fastened  to  a  hole  in  the  forepart  of 
the  boat,  and  the  other  end  to  a  man-of-war ;  but  I  found 

84 


A  VOYAGE  TO  LILLIPUT  85 

all  my  labor  to  little  purpose ;  for,  being  out  of  my  depth, 
I  was  not  able  to  work.  In  this  necessity,  I  was  forced 
to  swim  behind,  and  push  the  boat  forward,  as  often  as 
I  could,  with  one  of  my  hands ;  and  the  tide  favoring 
me,  I  advanced  so  far  that  I  could  just  hold  up  my  chin 
and  feel  the  ground.  I  rested  two  or  three  minutes,  and 
then  gave  the  boat  another  shove,  and  so  on,  till  the  sea 
was  no  higher  than  my  arm-pits ;  and,  now  the  most 
laborious  part  being  over,  I  took  out  my  other  cables, 
which  were  stowed  in  one  of  the  ships,  and  fastened  them 
first  to  the  boat,  and  then  to  nine  of  the  vessels  which 
attended  me ;  the  wind  being  favorable,  the  seamen  towed 
and  I  shoved,  till  we  arrived  within  forty  yards  of  the 
shore ;  and,  waiting  till  the  tide  was  out,  I  got  dry  to 
the  boat,  and,  by  the  assistance  of  two  thousand  men, 
with  ropes  and  engines,  I  made  a  shift  to  turn  it  on  its 
bottom,  and  found  it  was  but  little  damaged. 

I  shall  not  trouble  the  reader  with  the  difficulties  I  was 
under,  by  the  help  of  certain  paddles,  which  cost  me  ten 
days'  making,  to  get  my  boat  to  the  royal  port  of  Ble- 
fuscu,  where  a  mighty  concourse  of  people  appeared 
upon  my  arrival,  full  of  wonder  at  the  sight  of  so  pro- 
digious a  vessel.  I  told  the  emperor  that  my  good  for- 
tune had  thrown  this  boat  in  my  way  to  carry  me  to 
some  place  from  whence  I  might  return  into  my  native 
country;  and  begged  his  majesty's  orders  for  getting 
materials  to  fit  it  up,  together  with  his  license  to  depart ; 
which  he  was  pleased  to  grant. 

I  did  very  much  wonder  not  to  have  heard  of  any 
message  relating  to  me  from  our  emperor  to  the  court 


86  gulliver's  travels 

of  Blefuscu.  But  I  was  afterwards  given  privately  to 
understand,  that  his  majesty,  never  imagining  I  had  the 
least  notice  of  his  designs,  believed  I  was  only  gone  to 
Blefuscu  in  performance  of  my  promise,  according  to 
the  license  he  had  given  me,  which  was  well  known  at 
our  court,  and  would  return  in  a  few  days,  when  that 
ceremony  was  ended.  But  he  was  at  last  in  pain  at  my 
long  absence ;  and,  after  consulting  with  the  treasurer 
and  the  rest  of  that  cabal,  a  person  of  quality  was  dis- 
patcned  with  the  copy  of  the  articles  against  me.  This 
envoy  had  instructions  to  represent  to  the  monarch  of 
Blefuscu,  the  great  lenity  of  his  master,  who  was  content 
to  punish  me  no  further  than  with  the  loss  of  my  eyes ; 
that  I  had  fled  from  justice ;  and  if  I  did  not  return  in 
two  hours,  I  should  be  deprived  of  my  title  of  Nardal 
and  declared  a  traitor.  The  envoy  added,  that,  in  order 
to  maintain  the  peace  and  amity  between  both  empires, 
his  master  expected  that  his  brother  of  Blefuscu  would 
give  orders  to  have  me  sent  back  to  Lilliput  bound  hand 
and  foot,  to  be  punished  as  a  traitor. 

The  Emperor  of  Blefuscu,  having  taken  three  days  to 
consult,  returned  an  answer  consisting  of  many  civilities 
and  excuses.  He  said,  that  as  for  sending  me  bound, 
his  brother  knew  it  was  impossible  ;  that  although  I  had 
deprived  him  of  his  fleet,  yet  he  owed  great  obligations 
to  me  for  many  good  offices  I  had  done  him  in  making 
the  peace.  That,  however,  both  their  majesties  would 
soon  be  made  easy;  for  I  had  found  a  vessel  on  the 
shore,  able  to  carry  me  on  the  sea,  which  he  had  given 
order  to  fit  up,  with  my  own  assistance  and  direction ; 


A   VOYAGE  TO  LILLIPUT  87 

and  he  hoped,  in  a  few  weeks,  both  empires  would  be 
freed  from  so  insupportable  an  incumbrance. 

With  this  answer  the  envoy  returned  to  Lilliput ;  and 
the  monarch  of  Blefuscu  related  to  me  all  that  had 
passed  ;  offering  me,  at  the  same  time  his  gracious  pro- 
tection if  I  would  continue  in  his  service  :  wherein  al- 
though I  believed  him  sincere,  yet  I  resolved  never  more 
to  put  any  confidence  in  princes  or  ministers.  I  told 
him,  that  since  fortune,  whether  good  or  evil,  had  thrown 
a  vessel  in  my  way,  I  was  resolved  to  venture  myself  on 
the  ocean,  rather  than  be  an  occasion  of  difference  be- 
tween two  such  mighty  monarchs.  Neither  did  I  find 
the  emperor  at  all  displeased  ;  and  I  discovered,  that  he 
was  very  glad  of  my  resolution,  and  so  were  most  of  his 
ministers. 

These  considerations  moved  me  to  hasten  my  depar- 
ture to  which  the  court  very  readily  contributed.  Five 
hundred  workmen  were  employed  to  make  two  sails 
to  my  boat,  according  to  my  directions,  by  quilting 
thirteen  folds  of  their  strongest  linen  together.  I  made 
ropes  and  cables,  by  twisting  ten,  twenty,  or  thirty,  of 
the  thickest  and  strongest  of  theirs.  A  great  stone 
that  I  happened  to  find,  after  a  long  search,  by  the  sea- 
shore, served  me  for  an  anchor.  I  had  the  tallow  of 
three  hundred  cows  for  greasing  my  boat,  and  other 
uses.  I  was  at  pains  in  cutting  down  some  of  the  largest 
timber  trees  for  oars  and  masts  ;  wherein  I  was,  how- 
ever, much  assisted  by  his  majesty's  ship-carpenters, 
who  helped  me  in  smoothing  them,  after  I  had  done  the 
rough  work. 


88  GULLIVERS   TRAVELS 

Id  about  a  month,  when  all  was  prepared,  I  sent  to 
receive  his  majesty's  commands,  and  to  take  my  leave. 
The  emperor  and  royal  family  came  out  of  the  palace  : 
I  lay  down  on  my  face  to  kiss  his  hand,  which  he  very 
graciously  gave  me  :  so  did  the  empress  and  young 
princes  of  the  blood.  His  majesty  presented  me  with 
fifty  purses  of  two  hundred  sprugs  a-piece,  together  with 
his  picture  at  full  length,  which  I  put  into  one  of  my 
gloves,  to  keep  it  from  being  hurt. 

I  stored  the  boat  with  the  carcasses  of  an  hundred 
oxen  and  three  hundred  sheep,  with  bread  and  drink 
proportionable,  and  as  much  meat  ready  dressed  as  four 
hundred  cooks  could  provide.  I  took  with  me  six  cows 
and  two  bulls  alive,  with  as  many  ewes  and  rams,  in- 
tending to  carry  them  into  my  own  country,  and  propa- 
gate the  breed.  And,  to  feed  them  on  board,  I  had  a 
good  bundle  of  hay  and  a  bag  of  corn.  I  would  gladly 
have  taken  a  dozen  of  the  natives,  but  this  was  a  thing 
the  emperor  would  by  no  means  permit ;  and  besides  a 
diligent  search  into  my  pockets,  his  majesty  engaged 
my  honor  not  to  carry  away  any  of  his  subjects,  although 
with  their  own  consent  and  desire. 

Having  thus  prepared  all  things  as  well  as  I  was  able, 
I  set  sail  on  September  24,  1701,  at  six  in  the  morning  ; 
and  when  I  had  gone  about  four  leagues  to  the  north- 
ward, the  wind  being  at  southeast,  at  six  in  the  evening 
I  descried  a  small  island,  about  half  a  league  to  the  north- 
west. I  advanced  forward,  and  cast  anchor  on  the  lee- 
side1  of  the  island,  which  seemed  to  be  uninhabited, 
1  Side  sheltered  from  the  wind. 


90 


Gulliver's  travels 


I  then  took  some  refreshment,  and  went  to  my  rest.  I 
slept  well  for  at  least  six  hours,  and  I  found  the  day 
broke  in  two  hours  after  I  awakened.  It  was  a  clear 
night.  I  eat  my  breakfast  before  the  sun  was  up  ;  and 
heaving  anchor,  I  steered  the  same  course  that  I  had  done 


■in  Hiua'itfytUrt 


=a?feS?s?^3=5rr 


the  day  before,  wherein  I  was  directed  by  my  pocket 
compass.  My  intention  was  to  reach,  if  possible,  one  of 
those  islands  which  I  had  reason  to  believe  lay  to  the 
northeast  of  Van  Diemen's  Land.  I  discovered  nothing 
all  that  day  ;  but  upon  the  next,  about  three  in  the 
afternoon,  when  I  had,  by  my  computation,  made 
twenty-four  leagues  from  Blefuscu,  I  descried  a  sail 
steering  to  the  southeast ;  my  course  was  due  east.     I 


A   VOYAGE  TO   LILLIPTJT  91 

tailed  her,  but  could  get  no  answer  ;  yet  I  found  I 
gained  upon  her,  for  the  wind  slackened.  I  made  all 
the  sail  I  could,  and  in  half  an  hour  she  spied  me,  then 
hung  out  her  flag,  and  discharged  a  gun.  It  is  not  easy 
to  express  the  joy  I  was  in,  upon  the  unexpected  hope  of 
once  more  seeing  my  beloved  country,  and  the  dear 
pledges  I  left  in  it.  The  ship  slackened  her  sails,  and  I 
came  up  with  her  between  five  and  six  in  the  evening, 
September  26th  ;  but  my  heart  leaped  within  me  to  see 
her  English  colors.  I  put  my  cows  and  sheep  into  my 
coat-pockets,  and  got  on  board  with  all  my  little  cargo 
of  provisions.  The  vessel  was  an  English  merchantman, 
returning  from  Japan  by  the  North  and  South  Seas  ; 
the  captain,  Mr.  John  Biddel,  of  Deptford,  a  very  civil 
man,  and  an  excellent  sailor.  There  were  about  fifty 
men  in  the  ship  :  and  here  I  met  an  old  comrade  of 
mine,  one  Peter  Williams,  who  gave  me  a  good  charac- 
ter to  the  captain.  This  gentleman  treated  me  with 
kindness,  and  desired  I  would  let  him  know  what  place 
I  came  from  last,  and  whither  I  was  bound  ;  which  I 
did  in  few  words,  but  he  thought  I  was  raving  ;  where- 
upon I  took  my  black  cattle  and  sheep  out  of  my  pocket, 
which,  after  great  astonishment,  clearly  convinced  him 
of  my  veracity.  I  then  showed  him  the  gold  given  me 
by  the  Emperor  of  Blefuscu,  together  with  his  majesty's 
picture,  and  some  other  rarities  of  that  country.  I  gave 
him  two  purses  of  two  hundred  sprugs  each,  and  prom- 
ised, when  we  arrived  in  England,  to  make  him  a  pres- 
ent of  a  cow  and  a  sheep. 

I  shall  not  trouble  the  reader  with  a  particular  account 


92  GULLIVER'S   TRAVELS 

of  this  voyage,  which  was  very  prosperous  for  the  most 
part.  We  arrived  in  the  Downs  on  April  13,  1702.  I 
had  only  one  misfortune,  that  the  rats  on  board  carried 
away  one  of  my  sheep  ;  I  found  her  bones  in  a  hole, 
picked  clean  from  the  flesh.  The  rest  of  my  cattle  I 
got  safe  on  shore,  and  set  them  grazing  in  a  bowling- 
green  at  Greenwich,  where  the  fineness  of  the  grass 
made  them  feed  very  heartily,  though  I  had  always 
feared  the  contrary  :  neither  could  I  possibly  have  pre- 
served them  in  so  long  a  voyage,  if  the  captain  had  not 
allowed  me  some  of  his  best  biscuit,  which  rubbed  to 
powder,  and  mingled  with  water,  was  their  constant 
food.  The  short  time  I  continued  in  England,  I  made 
a  considerable  profit  by  showing  my  cattle,  and  before 
I  began  my  second  voyage,  I  sold  them  for  six  hundred 
pounds.  Since  my  last  return  I  find  the  breed  is  con- 
siderably increased,  especially  the  sheep,  which  I  hope 
will  prove  much  to  the  advantage  of  the  woolen  manu- 
facture, by  the  fineness  of  the  fleeces. 

I  stayed  but  two  months  with  my  wife  and  family  j 
for  my  insatiable  desire  of  seeing  foreign  countries 
would  suffer  me  to  continue  no  longer.  I  left  fifteen 
hundred  pounds  with  my  wife,  and  fixed  her  in  a  good 
house.  My  remaining  stock  I  carried  with  me,  part  in 
money  and  part  in  goods,  in  hopes  to  improve  my 
fortune.  My  eldest  uncle  left  me  an  estate  in  land  of 
about  thirty  pounds  a  year  ;  and  I  had  a  long  lease  of 
the  Black  Bull  in  Fetter  Lane,  which  yielded  me  as 
much  more  ;  so  that  I  was  not  in  any  danger  of  leaving 
my  family  upon  the  parish.    My  son  Johnny,  named  so 


A  VOYAGE  TO  LIL.LIPUT 


93 


after  his  uncle,  was  at  the  grammar-school,  and  a  doc- 
ile child.  My  daughter  Betty  (who  is  now  well  mar- 
ried, and  has  children)  was  then  at  her  needlework.  I 
took  leave  of  my  wife  and  boy  and  girl,  with  tears  on 
both  sides,  and  went  on  board  the  Adventure,  bound 
for  India,  Captain  John  Nicholas,  of  Liverpool,  com- 
mander. But  my  account  of  this  voyage  must  be  re- 
ferred to  the  second  part  of  my  travels. 


P^RT    II 

T©J5 


CHAPTER  I 

A  Great  Storm  ;  the  Long-boat  sent  to  fetch  Water,  the  Author  goes 
with  it  to  discover  the  Country  —  He  is  left  on  Shore,  is  seized  by 
one  of  the  Natives,  and  carried  to  a  Farmer's  House  —  His  Reception 
there,  with  Several  Accidents  that  happened  there  —  A  Description 
of  the  Inhabitants. 

Having  been  condemned,  by  nature  and  fortune,  to 
an  active  and  restless  life,  in  two  months  after  my  re- 
turn, I  again  left  my  native  country,  and  took  shipping 
in  the  Adventure,  bound  for  India.  We  had  a  very 
prosperous  gale  till  we  arrived  at  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope,  where  we  landed  for  fresh  water  ;  but  discover- 
ing a  leak,  we  unshipped  our  goods  and  wintered  there  ; 
for  the  captain  falling  sick  of  an  ague,  we  could  not 

94 


A  VOYAGE  TO  BROBDINGNAG  96 

leave  the  Cape  till  the  end  of  March.  We  then  set 
sail,  and  had  a  good  voyage  till  we  passed  the  Straits  of 
Madagascar ;  but  having  got  northward  of  that  island, 
the  winds,  which  in  those  seas  blow  a  constant  equal 
gale  between  the  north  and  west,  from  the  beginning  of 
December  to  the  beginning  of  May,  on  April  19,  began 
to  blow  with  much  greater  violence,  and  more  westerly 
than  usual,  continuing  so  for  twenty  days  together  ; 
during  which  time  we  were  driven  a  little  to  the  east 
of  the  Molucca  Islands.  On  May  2,  the  wind  ceased, 
and  it  was  a  perfect  calm,  whereat  I  was  rejoiced.  But 
he,  being  a  man  well  experienced  in  the  navigation  of 
those  seas,  bid  us  prepare  against  a  storm,  which  accord- 
ingly happened  the  day  following  ;  for  a  southern  wind, 
called  the  southern  monsoon,1  began  to  set  in,  and  soon 
it  was  a  very  fierce  storm. 

During  this  storm,  which  was  followed  by  a  strong 
wind  west-southwest,  we  were  carried  about  five  hun- 
dred leagues  to  the  east,  so  that  the  oldest  sailor  on 
board  could  not  tell  in  what  part  of  the  world  we  were. 
Our  provisions  held  out  well,  our  ship  was  stanch,  and 
our  crew  all  in  good  health  ;  but  we  lay  in  the  utmost 
distress  for  water.  We  thought  it  best  to  hold  on  the 
same  course,  rather  than  turn  more  northerly,  which 
might  have  brought  us  to  the  northwest  parts  of  Great 
Tartary,  and  into  the  Frozen  Sea. 

On  June  16, 1703,  a  boy  on  the  top-mast  discovered 

1  The  monsoons  are  winds  of  the  Indian  Ocean  and  Eastern  seas 
that  blow  in  the  same  direction  for  half  the  year  and  in  the  opposite 
direction  the  other  half. 


96  gulliver's  travels 

land.  On  the  17th  we  came  in  full  view  of  a  great 
island  on  the  south  side,  whereof  was  a  small  neck  of 
land  jutting  out  into  the  sea,  and  a  creek  too  shallow 
to  hold  a  ship  of  above  one  hundred  tons.  We  cast 
anchor  within  a  league  of  this  creek,  and  our  captain 
sent  a  dozen  of  his  men  well  armed  in  the  long-boat, 
with  vessels  for  water,  if  any  could  be  found.  I  de- 
sired his  leave  to  go  with  them,  that  I  might  see  the 
country,  and  make  what  discoveries  I  could.  When 
we  came  to  land,  we  saw  no  river  or  spring,  nor  any 
sign  of  inhabitants.  Our  men  therefore  wandered  on 
the  shore  to  find  out  some  fresh  water  near  the  sea,  and 
I  walked  alone  about  a  mile  on  the  other  side,  where  I 
observed  the  country  all  barren  and  rocky.  I  now  be- 
gan to  be  weary,  and  returned  down  towards  the  creek  ; 
and  the  sea  being  full  in  my  view,  I  saw  our  men  already 
got  into  the  boat,  and  rowing  for  life  to  the  ship.  I 
was  going  to  hallo  after  them,  when  I  observed  a  huge 
creature  walking  after  them  in  the  sea,  as  fast  as  he 
could  :  he  waded  not  much  deeper  than  his  knees,  and 
took  great  strides  ;  but  our  men  had  got  the  start  of 
him  half  a  league,  and  the  sea  thereabouts  being  full  of 
sharp-pointed  rocks,  the  monster  was  not  able  to  over- 
take the  boat.  This  I  was  afterwards  told,  for  I  ran 
as  fast  as  I  could  the  way  I  first  went,  and  then  climbed 
up  a  steep  hill,  which  gave  me  some  prospect  of  the 
country.  I  found  it  fully  cultivated  ;  but  that  which 
first  surprised  me  was  the  length  of  the  grass,  which,  in 
those  grounds  that  seemed  to  be  kept  for  hay,  was 
about  twenty  feet  high. 


A  VOYAGE  TO   BROBDINGNAG  97 

I  fell  into  a  high-road,  for  so  I  took  it  to  be,  though 
it  served  to  the  inhabitants  only  as  a  foot-path  through 
a  field  of  barley.  Here  I  walked  on  for  some  time,  but 
could  see  little  on  either  side,  it  now  being  near  harvest, 
and  the  corn  rising  at  least  forty  feet.  I  was  an  hour 
walking  to  the  end  of  this  field,  which  was  fenced  in  with 
a  hedge  of  at  least  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet  high, 
and  the  trees  so  lofty  that  I  could  make  no  computation 
of  their  altitude.  There  was  a  stile  to  pass  from  this 
field  into  the  next.  It  had  four  steps,  and  a  stone  to 
cross  over  when  you  came  to  the  uppermost.  It  was 
impossible  for  me  to  climb  this  stile,  because  every  step 
was  six  feet  high,  and  the  upper  stone  above  twenty. 
I  was  endeavoring  to  find  some  gap  in  the  hedge,  when 
I  discovered  one  of  the  inhabitants  in  the  next  field, 
advancing  towards  the  stile,  of  the  same  size  with  him 
whom  I  saw  in  the  sea  pursuing  our  boat.  He  appeared 
as  tall  as  an  ordinary  spire  steeple,  and  took  about  ten 
yards  at  every  stride,  as  near  as  I  could  guess.  I  was 
struck  with  fear  and  astonishment,  and  ran  to  hide  my- 
self in  the  corn,  from  whence  I  saw  him  at  the  top  of 
the  stile,  looking  back  into  the  next  field  on  the  right 
hand,  and  heard  him  call  in  a  voice  louder  than  a  speak- 
ing-trumpet ;  but  the  noise  was  so  high  in  the  air,  that 
at  first  I  certainly  thought  it  was  thunder.  Whereupon 
seven  monsters,  like  himself,1  came  towards  him  with 
reaping-hooks    in   their  hands,   each  hook  about  the 

1  The  Brobdingnagians  are  represented  to  be  about  as  much  larger 
than  ordinary  human  beings  as  the  Lilliputians  are  smaller,  all  their 
belongings  being  of  a  corresponding  magnitude. 


98  qulliver's  travels 

largeness  of  six  scythes.  These  people  were  not  so  well 
clad  as  the  first,  whose  servants  or  laborers  they  seemed 
to  be  ;  for,  upon  some  words  he  spoke,  they  went  to 
reap  the  corn  in  the  field  where  I  lay.  I  kept  from 
them  at  as  great  a  distance  as  I  could,  but  was  forced 
to  move  with  extreme  difficulty,  for  the  stalks  of  the 
corn  were  sometimes  not  above  a  foot  distant,  so  that  I 
could  hardly  squeeze  my  body  between  them.  How- 
ever, I  made  a  shift  to  go  forward  till  I  came  to  a  part 
of  the  field  where  the  corn  had  been  laid  by  the  rain 
and  wind.  Here  it  was  impossible  for  me  to  advance 
a  step  ;  for  the  stalks  were  so  interwoven  that  I  could 
not  creep  through,  and  the  beards  of  the  fallen  ears  so 
strong  and  pointed,  that  they  pierced  through  my  clothes 
into  my  flesh.  At  the  same  time  I  heard  the  reapers 
not  above  a  hundred  yards  behind  me.  Being  quite 
dispirited  with  toil,  and  wholly  overcome  by  grief  and 
despair,  I  lay  down  between  two  ridges,  and  heartily 
wished  I  might  there  end  my  days.  I  bemoaned  my 
desolate  widow  and  fatherless  children.  I  lamented  my 
own  folly  and  wilfulness  in  attempting  a  second  voyage, 
against  the  advice  of  all  my  friends  and  relations.  In 
this  terrible  agitation  of  mind,  I  could  not  forbear  think- 
ing of  Lilliput,  whose  inhabitants  looked  upon  me  as  the 
greatest  prodigy  that  ever  appeared  in  the  world ;  where 
I  was  able  to  draw  an  imperial  fleet  in  my  hand,  and  per- 
form those  other  actions  which  will  be  recorded  forever 
in  the  chronicles  of  that  empire,  while  posterity  shall 
hardly  believe  them,  although  attested  by  millions.  I 
reflected  what  a  mortification  it  must  prove  to  me,  to 


i,",l»;,Vi,y,""v.;i'!''^!':!l|,;; 


100  Gulliver's  travels 

appear  as  inconsiderable  in  this  nation  as  one  single 
Lilliputian  would  be  among  us.  But  this  I  conceived 
was  to  be  the  least  of  my  misfortunes  ;  for,  as  human 
creatures  are  observed  to  be  more  savage  and  cruel  in 
proportion  to  their  bulk,  what  could  I  expect  but  to  be 
a  morsel  in  the  mouth  of  the  first  among  these  enormous 
barbarians  that  should  happen  to  seize  me  ?  Un- 
doubtedly philosophers  are  in  the  right,  when  they  tell 
us  that  nothing  is  great  or  little  otherwise  than  by  com- 
parison. It  might  have  pleased  fortune  to  let  the 
Lilliputians  find  some  nation,  where  the  people  were  as 
diminutive  with  respect  to  them,  as  they  were  to  me. 
And  who  knows  but  that  even  this  prodigious  race  of 
mortals  might  be  equally  overmatched  in  some  distant 
part  of  the  world,  whereof  we  have  yet  no  discovery. 

Scared  as  I  was,  I  could  not  help  going  on  with  these 
reflections,  when  one  of  the  reapers,  approaching  within 
ten  yards  of  the  ridge  where  I  lay,  made  me  fear  that 
with  the  next  step  I  should  be  squashed  to  death  under 
his  foot,  or  cut  in  two  with  his  reaping-hook.  And 
therefore  when  he  was  again  about  to  move,  I  screamed 
as  loud  as  fear  could  make  me  ;  whereupon  the  huge 
creature  trod  short,  and,  looking  round  about  under  him 
for  some  time,  at  last  espied  me  as  I  lay  on  the  ground. 
He  considered  awhile,  with  the  caution  of  one  who  en- 
deavors to  lay  hold  on  a  small  dangerous  animal  in  such 
a  manner  that  it  may  not  be  able  either  to  scratch  or  to 
bite  him,  as  I  myself  have  sometimes  done  with  a  weasel 
in  England.  At  length  he  ventured  to  take  me  up  be- 
hind, by  the  middle,  between  his  forefinger  and  thumb, 


A  VOYAGE  TO  BROBDINGNAG 


101 


and  brought  me  within  three  yards  of  his  eyes,  that  he 
might  behold  my  shape  more  perfectly.  I  guessed  his 
meaning,  and  my  good  fortune  gave  me  so  much  pres- 
ence of  mind,  that  I  resolved  not  to  struggle  in  the  least 
as  he  held  me  in  the  air  above  sixty  feet  from  the 
ground,  although  he  grievously  pinched  my  sides,  for 
fear  I  should  slip  through  his  fingers.     All  I  ventured 


was  to  raise  my  eyes  towards  the  sun,  and  place  my 
hands  together  in  a  supplicating  posture,  and  to  speak 
some  words  in  an  humble,  melancholy  tone,  suitable  to 
the  condition  I  then  was  in  ;  for  I  felt  every  moment 
that  he  would  dash  me  against  the  ground,  as  we  usu- 
ally do  any  little  hateful  animal  which  we  have  a  mind 
to  destroy.  But  my  good  star  would  have  it,  that  he 
appeared  pleased  with  my  voice  and  gestures,  and  began 
to  look  upon  me  as  a  curiosity,  much  wondering  to  hear 
me  pronounce  articulate  words,  although  he  could  not 
understand  them.     In  the  meantime  I  was  not  able  to 


102  GULUVER'S   JRAVELS 

help  groaning  and  shedding  tears,  and  turning  my  head 
towards  my  sides  ;  letting  him  know  as  well  as  I  could, 
how  cruelly  I  was  hurt  by  the  pressure  of  his  thumb  and 
finger.  He  seemed  to  know  my  meaning  ;  for,  lifting 
up  the  skirt  of  his  coat,  he  put  me  gently  into  it,  and 
ran  along  with  me  to  his  master,  who  was  a  substantial 
farmer,  and  the  same  person  I  had  first  seen  in  the 
field. 

The  farmer  having  received  such  an  account  of  me 
as  his  servant  could  give  him,  took  a  piece  of  a  small 
straw,  about  the  size  of  a  walking-staff,  and  therewith 
lifted  up  the  lappets  of  my  coat  ;  which,  it  seems,  he 
thought  to  be  some  kind  of  covering  that  nature  had 
given  me.  He  blew  my  hairs  aside  to  take  a  better  view 
of  my  face.  He  called  his  servants  about  him,  and 
asked  them,  Whether  they  had  ever  seen  in  the  fields 
any  little  creature  that  resembled  me  ?  He  then  placed 
me  softly  on  the  ground  upon  all  four,  but  I  got  up,  and 
walked  slowly  backwards  and  forwards,  to  let  those 
people  see  I  had  no  intent  to  run  away.  They  all  sat 
down  in  a  circle  about  me,  the  better  to  observe  my 
motions.  I  pulled  off  my  hat,  and  made  a  low  bow 
towards  the  farmer.  I  fell  on  my  knees,  and  lifted  up 
my  hands  and  eyes,  and  spoke  several  words  as  loud  as 
I  could  ;  I  took  a  purse  of  gold  out  of  my  pocket,  and 
humbly  presented  it  to  him.  He  received  it  on  the  palm 
of  his  hand,  then  applied  it  close  to  his  eye  to  see  what 
it  was,  and  afterwards  turned  it  several  times  with  the 
point  of  a  pin  (which  he  took  out  of  his  sleeve),  but 
could  make  nothing  of  it.     Whereupon  I  made  a  sign 


A   VOYAGE  TO  BROBDINGNAG  108 

that  lie  should  place  his  hand  on  the  ground.  I  then 
took  the  purse,  and  opening  it,  poured  all  the  gold  into 
his  palm.  There  were  six  Spanish  pieces  of  four  pis- 
toles each,  besides  twenty  or  thirty  smaller  coins.  I 
saw  him  wet  the  tip  of  his  little  finger  upon  his  tongue, 
and  take  up  one  of  my  largest  pieces,  and  then  another  : 
but  he  seemed  to  be  wholly  ignorant  what  they  were. 
He  made  me  a  sign  to  put  them  again  into  my  purse, 
and  the  purse  again  into  my  pocket,  which,  after  offer- 
ing to  him  several  times,  I  thought  it  best  to  do. 

The  farmer,  by  this  time,  was  convinced  I  must  be  a 
rational  creature.  He  spoke  often  to  me  ;  but  the  sound 
of  his  voice  pierced  my  ears  like  that  of  a  water-mill, 
yet  his  words  were  articulate  enough.  I  answered  as 
loud  as  I  could  in  several  languages,  and  he  often  laid 
his  ear  within  two  yards  of  me  ;  but  all  in  vain,  for  we 
were  wholly  unintelligible  to  each  other.  He  then  sent 
his  servants  to  their  work,  and  taking  his  handkerchief 
out  of  his  pocket,  he  doubled,  and  spread  it  on  his  left 
hand,  which  he  placed  flat  on  the  ground,  with  the  palm 
upwards,  making  me  a  sign  to  step  into  it,  as  I  could 
easily  do,  for  it  was  not  above  a  foot  in  thickness.  I 
thought  it  my  part  to  obey  ;  and  for  fear  of  falling, 
laid  myself  at  full  length  upon  the  handkerchief,  with 
the  remainder  of  which  he  lapped  me  up  to  the  head  for 
further  security,  and  in  this  manner  carried  me  home 
to  his  house.  There  he  called  his  wife,  and  showed  me 
to  her  ;  but  she  screamed  and  ran  back,  as  women  do  at 
the  sight  of  a  toad  or  a  spider.  However,  when  she  had 
awhile  seen  how  well  I  observed  the  signs  her  husband 


104 


Gulliver's  travels 


made,  she  was  soon  reconciled,  and  by  degrees  grew  very- 
tender  of  me. 

It  was  about  twelve  at  noon,  and  a  servant  brought 
in  dinner.     It  was  only  one  substantial  dish  of  meat,  in 


a  dish  of  about  four-and-twenty  feet  diameter.  The 
company  were,  the  farmer  and  his  wife,  three  children, 
and  an  old  grandmother.  When  they  were  set  down, 
the  farmer  placed  me  at  some  distance  from  him  on  the 


A  VOYAGE  TO  BROBDINGNAG  105 

table,  which  Wt  s  thirty  feet  high  from  the  floor.  I  was 
in  a  terrible  fright,  and  kept  as  far  as  I  could  from  the 
edge,  for  fear  of  falling.  The  wife  minced  a  bit  of  meat, 
then  crumbled  some  bread  on  a  trencher,  and  placed  it 
before  me.  I  made  her  a  low  bow,  took  out  my  knife 
and  fork,  and  fell  to  eating,  which  gave  them  exceeding 
delight.  The  mistress  sent  her  maid  for  a  small  dram- 
cup,  which  held  about  two  gallons,  and  rilled  it  with 
drink  ;  I  took  up  the  vessel  with  much  difficulty  in  both 
hands,  and  in  a  most  respectful  manner  drank  to  her 
ladyship's  health,  expressing  the  words  as  loud  as  I  could 
in  English,  which  made  the  company  laugh  so  heartily, 
that  I  was  almost  deafened  with  the  noise.  This  liquor 
tasted  like  a  small  cider,  and  was  not  unpleasant.  Then 
the  master  made  me  a  sign  to  come  to  his  trencher-side  ; 
but  as  I  walked  on  the  table,  I  happened  to  stumble 
against  a  crust,  and  fell  flat  on  my  face,  but  received  no 
hurt.  I  got  up  immediately,  and  observing  the  good 
people  to  be  in  much  concern,  I  took  my  hat  (which  I 
held  under  my  arm  out  of  good  manners),  and  waving 
it  over  my  head,  made  three  huzzas,  to  show  I  had 
got  no  mischief  by  my  fall.  But  advancing  forwards 
towards  my  master  (as  I  hall  henceforth  call  him),  his 
youngest  son,  who  sat  next  him,  an  arch  boy  of  about 
ten  years  old,  took  me  up  by  the  legs,  and  held  me  so 
high  in  the  air,  that  I  trembled  in  every  limb  ;  but  his 
father  snatched  me  from  him,  and  at  the  same  time  gave 
him  such  a  box  on  the  left  ear,  as  would  have  felled  an 
European  troop  of  horse  to  the  earth,  ordering  him  to 
be  taken  from  the  table.      But,  being  afraid  the  boy 


GULLIVER'S  TRAVELS 

might  owe  me  a  spite,  and  well  remembering  how  mis- 
chievous all  children  among  us  naturally  are  to  spar- 
rows, rabbits,  young  kittens,  and  puppy-dogs,  I  fell  on 
my  knees,  and,  pointing  to  the  boy,  made  my  master  to 
understand,  as  well  as  I  could,  that  I  desired  his  son 
might  be  pardoned.  The  father  complied,  and  the  lad 
took  his  seat  again,  whereupon  I  went  to  him,  and  kissed 
his  hand,  which  my  master  took,  and  made  him  stroke 
me  gently  with  it. 

In  the  midst  of  dinner,  my  mistress'  favorite  cat 
leaped  into  her  lap.  I  heard  a  noise  behind  me  like 
that  of  a  dozen  stocking- weavers  at  work  ;  and  turning 
my  head  I  found  it  proceeded  from  the  purring  of  this 
animal,  who  seemed  to  be  three  times  larger  than  an  ox, 
as  I  computed  by  the  view  of  her  head  and  one  of  her 
paws,  while  her  mistress  was  feeding  and  stroking  her. 
The  fierceness  of  this  creature's  countenance  discom- 
posed me  ;  though  I  stood  at  the  further  end  of  the 
table,  above  fifty  feet  off  ;  and  although  my  mistress 
held  her  fast,  for  fear  she  might  give  a  spring,  and 
seize  me.  But  it  happened  there  was  no  danger  ;  for 
the  cat  took  not  the  least  notice  of  me  when  my  master 
placed  me  within  three  yards  of  her.  And,  as  I  have 
been  always  told,  that  flying  or  showing  fear  before  a 
fierce  animal  is  a  certain  way  to  make  it  pursue  or  at- 
tack you,  so  I  resolved,  in  this  dangerous  juncture,  to 
show  no  manner  of  concern.  I  walked  without  fear  five 
or  six  times  before  the  very  head  of  the  cat,  and  came 
within  half  a  yard  of  her  ;  whereupon  she  drew  herself 
back,  as  if  she  were  afraid  of  me.     I  had  less  fear  of  the 


A   VOYAGE  TO   BROBDINGNAG  107 

dogs,  whereof  three  or  four  came  into  the  room  as  it  is 
usual  in  farmers'  houses  ;  one  of  which  was  a  mastiff, 
equal  in  bulk  to  four  elephants,  and  a  greyhound  some- 
what taller  than  the  mastiff,  but  not  so  large. 

When  dinner  was  almost  done,  the  nurse  came  in  with 
a  child  of  a  year  old  in  her  arms,  who  immediately  spied 
me,  and  began  a  squall  that  you  might  have  heard  from 
London  Bridge  to  Chelsea,  after  the  usual  oratory  of  in- 
fants, to  get  me  for  a  plaything.  The  mother  took  me 
up,  and  put  me  towards  the  child,  who  presently  seized 
me  by  the  middle,  and  got  my  head  in  his  mouth,  where 
I  roared  so  loud  that  the  urchin  was  frighted,  and  let 
me  drop,  and  I  should  have  broken  my  neck,  if  the 
mother  had  not  held  her  apron  under  me.  The  nurse, 
to  quiet  her  babe,  made  use  of  a  rattle,  which  was  a  kind 
of  hollow  vessel  filled  with  great  stones,  and  fastened  by 
a  cable  to  the  child's  waist ;  but  all  in  vain,  so  that  she 
was  forced  to  apply  the  last  remedy  by  giving  it  suck. 
No  object  ever  disgusted  me  so  much  as  the  sight  of  her 
monstrous  breast,  nor  can  I  give  the  curious  reader  an 
idea  of  its  bulk,  shape,  and  color. 

This  made  me  reflect  upon  the  fair  skins  of  our  Eng- 
lish ladies,  who  appear  so  beautiful  to  us,  only  because 
they  are  of  our  own  size,  and  their  defects  not  to  be  seen 
but  through  a  magnifying  glass ;  where  we  find  by  ex- 
periment, that  the  smoothest  and  whitest  skins  look 
rough,  and  coarse,  and  ill-colored. 

I  remember  when  I  was  at  Lilliput,  the  complexion  of 
those  diminutive  people  appeared  to  me  the  fairest  in  the 
world  ;  and  talking  upon  this  subject  with  a  person  of 


108  GULLIVER'S  TRAVELS 

learning  there,  he  said,  that  my  face  appeared  much  fairer 
and  smoother  when  he  looked  on  me  from  the  ground, 
than  it  did  upon  a  nearer  view,  when  I  took  him  up  in 
my  hand,  and  brought  him  close,  which  he  confessed  was 
at  first  a  very  shocking  sight.  He  said  he  could  dis- 
cover great  holes  in  my  skin  ;  that  the  stumps  of  my 
beard  were  ten  times  stronger  than  the  bristles  of  a  boar, 
and  my  complexion  made  up  of  several  colors  altogether 
disagreeable :  although  I  must  beg  leave  to  say  for  my- 
self, that  I  am  as  fair  as  most  of  my  sex  and  country,  and 
very  little  sun-burnt  by  all  my  travels.  On  the  other 
side,  discoursing  of  the  ladies  in  that  emperor's  court, 
he  used  to  tell  me  one  had  freckles,  another  too  wide  a 
mouth,  a  third  too  large  a  nose  ;  nothing  of  which  I  was 
able  to  distinguish. 

When  dinner  was  done,  my  master  went  out  to  his 
laborers,  and,  as  I  could  discover  by  his  voice  and  ges- 
ture, gave  his  wife  a  strict  charge  to  take  care  of  me.  I 
was  very  much  tired,  and  disposed  to  sleep,  which  my 
mistress  perceiving,  she  put  me  on  her  own  bed,  and  cov- 
ered me  with  a  clean  white  handkerchief,  but  larger  and 
coarser  than  the  mainsail  of  a  man-of-war. 

I  slept  about  two  hours,  and  dreamed  I  was  at  home 
with  my  wife  and  children,  which  aggravated  my  sor- 
rows when  I  awaked  and  found  myself  alone  in  a  vast 
room  between  two  and  three  hundred  feet  wide,  and 
above  two  hundred  high,  lying  in  a  bed  twenty  yards 
wide.  My  mistress  was  gone  about  her  household 
affairs,  and  had  locked  me  in.  The  bed  was  eight  yards 
from  the  floor.      I  wished  to  get  down,  but  dared  not 


110  Gulliver's  travels 

presume  to  call  ;  and  if  I  had,  it  would  have  been  in 
vain,  with  such  a  voice  as  mine,  at  so  great  a  distance 
as  from  the  room  where  I  lay  to  the  kitchen  where  the 
family  kept.  Two  rats  crept  up  the  curtains,  and  ran 
smelling  backwards  and  forwards  on  the  bed.      One  of 


them  came  up  almost  to  my  face,  whereupon  I  rose  in  a 
fright,  and  drew  out  my  short  broad-sword  to  defend 
myself.  These  horrible  animals  had  the  boldness  to 
attack  me  on  both  sides,  and  one  of  them  held  his  fore- 
feet at  my  collar  ;  but  I  had  the  good  fortune  to  rip  up 
his  belly,  before  he  could  do  me  any  mischief.  He  fell 
down  at  my  feet ;  and  the  other,  seeing  the  fate  of  his 
comrade,  made  his  escape,  but  not  without  one  good 


A  VOYAGE  TO  BKOBDINGNAG  111 

wound  on  the  back,  which  I  gave  him  as  he  fled,  and 
made  the  blood  run  trickling  from  him.  After  this  ex- 
ploit, I  walked  gently  to  and  fro  on  the  bed,  to  recover 
my  breath  and  loss  of  spirits.  These  creatures  were  of 
the  size  of  a  large  mastiff,  but  infinitely  more  nimble  and 
fierce  ;  so  that,  if  I  had  taken  off  my  belt  before  I  went 
to  sleep,  I  must  have  surely  been  torn  to  pieces  and  de- 


voured. I  measured  the  tail  of  the  dead  rat,  and  found 
it  to  be  two  yards  long,  wanting  an  inch  ;  but  it  went 
against  my  stomach  to  drag  the  carcass  off  the  bed,  where 
it  lay  still  bleeding  ;  I  observed  it  had  yet  some  life, 
but  with  a  slash  across  the  neck,  I  thoroughly  dispatched 
it. 

Soon  after  my  mistress  came  into  the  room,  who,  see- 
ing me  all  bloody,  ran  and  took  me  up  in  her  hand.  I 
pointed  to  the  dead  rat,  smiling,  and  making  other  signs 


112  GULLIVER'S   TRAVELS 

to  show  I  was  not  hurt ;  whereat  she  was  very  glad,  call- 
ing the  maid  to  take  up  the  dead  rat  with  a  pair  of  tongs, 
and  throw  it  out  of  the  window.  Then  she  set  me  on 
a  table,  where  I  showed  her  my  sword  all  bloody,  and 
wiping  it  on  the  lappet  of  my  coat,  returned  it  to  the 
scabbard. 

The  reader  will  excuse  me  for  dwelling  on  these  and 
the  like  particulars,  which,  however  insignificant  they 
may  appear  to  groveling  vulgar  minds,  yet  will  certainly 
help  a  philosopher  to  enlarge  his  thoughts  and  imagina- 
tion, and  apply  them  to  the  benefit  of  public  as  well  as 
private  life,  which  was  my  sole  design  in  presenting  this 
and  other  accounts  of  my  travels  to  the  world ;  wherein 
I  have  been  chiefly  studious  of  truth,  without  affecting 
any  ornaments  of  learning  or  of  style.  But  the  whole 
scene  of  this  voyage  made  so  strong  an  impression  on 
my  mind,  and  is  so  de  fixed  in  my  memory,  that,  in 

committing  it  to  pap<^,  I  did  not  omit  one  material  cir- 
cumstance :  however,  upon  a  strict  review,  I  blotted  out 
several  passages  of  less  moment,  which  were  in  my  first 
copy,  for  fear  of  being  censured  as  tedious  and  trifling, 
whereof  travelers  are  often,  perhaps  not  without  justice, 
accused. 


CHAPTER  II 

A  Description  of  the  Parmer's  Daughter  —  The  Author  carried  to  a 
Market-town,  and  then  to  the  Metropolis  —  The  Particulars  of  his 
Journey. 

My  mistress  had  a  daughter  of  nine  years  old,  a  child 
of  tractable  parts  for  her  age,  very  dexterous  at  her 
needle,  and  skillful  in  dressing  her  doll.  Her  mother 
and  she  contrived  to  fit  up  the  doll's  cradle  for  me  against 
night :  the  cradle  was  put  into  a  small  drawer  of  a  cabi- 
net, and  the  drawer  placed  upon  a  hanging  shelf  for  fear 
of  the  rats.  This  was  my  bed  all  the  time  I  stayed  with 
those  people,  though  made  more  convenient  by  degrees, 
as  I  began  to  learn  their  language,  and  make  my  wants 
known.  This  young  girl  was  so  handy,  that,  after  I  had 
once  or  twice  pulled  off  my  clothes  before  her,  she  was 
able  to  dress  and  undress  me,  though  I  never  gave  her 
that  trouble  when  she  would  let  me  do  either  myself. 
She  made  me  seven  shirts  and  some  other  linen,  of  as 
fine  cloth  as  could  be  got,  which  indeed  was  coarser  than 
sackcloth ;  and  these  she  constantly  washed  for  me  with 
her  own  hands.  She  was  likewise  my  schoolmistress, 
to  teach  me  the  language ;  when  I  pointed  to  anything, 

113 


114  GULLIVER'S   TRAVELS 

she  told  me  the  name  of  it  in  her  own  tongue,  so  that  in 
a  few  days  I  was  able  to  call  for  whatever  I  had  a  mind 
to.  She  was  very  good-natured,  and  not  above  forty 
feet  high,  being  little  for  her  age.  She  gave  me  the 
name  of  Grildrig  (Mannikin),  which  the  family  took 
up,  and  afterwards  the  whole  kingdom.  To  her  I 
chiefly  owe  my  preservation  in  that  country :  we  never 
parted  while  I  was  there ;  I  called  her  my  Grlumdalclitch, 
or  little  nurse,  and  I  should  be  guilty  of  great  ingrati- 
tude if  I  omitted  this  honorable  mention  of  her  care  and 
affection  towards  me,  which  I  heartily  wish  it  lay  in  my 
power  to  requite  as  she  deserves,  instead  of  being  the 
innocent,  but  unhappy,  instrument  of  her  disgrace,  as 
I  have  too  much  reason  to  fear. 

It  now  began  to  be  known  and  talked  of  in  the  neigh- 
borhood, that  my  master  had  found  a  strange  animal  in 
the  field,  but  exactly  shaped  in  every  part  like  a  human 
creature ;  which  it  likewise  imitated  in  all  its  actions  ; 
seemed  to  speak  in  a  little  language  of  its  own,  had  al- 
ready learned  several  words  of  theirs,  went  erect  upon 
two  legs,  was  tame  and  gentle,  would  come  when  it  was 
called,  do  whatever  it  was  bid,  had  the  finest  limbs  in 
the  world,  and  a  complexion  fairer  than  a  nobleman's 
daughter  of  three  years  old.  Another  farmer,  who  lived 
near  by,  came  on  a  visit  on  purpose  to  inquire  into  the 
truth  of  this  story.  I  was  immediately  produced,  and 
placed  upon  a  table,  where  I  walked  as  I  was  commanded, 
drew  my  sword,  put  it  up  again,  made  my  reverence  to 
my  master's  guest,  asked  him  in  his  own  language  how 
he  did,  and  told  him  he  was  welcome,  just  as  my  little 


A  VOYAGE  TO  BKOBDIJSGNAG  115 

nurse  had  instructed  me.  This  man,  who  was  old  and 
dim-sighted,  put  on  his  spectacles  to  behold  me  better, 
at  which  I  could  not  help  laughing  heartily,  for  his  eyes 
appeared  like  the  full  moon  shining  into  a  chamber  at 
two  windows.  Our  people  who  discovered  the  cause  of 
my  mirth,  bore  me  company  in  laughing,  at  which  the 
old  fellow  was  fool  enough  to  be  angry.  He  had  the 
character  of  a  great  miser ;  and,  to  my  misfortune,  he 
well  deserved  it,  by  the  cursed  advice  he  gave  my  mas- 
ter, to  show  me  as  a  sight  upon  a  market-day  in  the  next 
town,  which  was  half  an  hour's  riding,  about  two  and 
twenty  miles  from  our  house.  I  guessed  there  was  some 
mischief  on  foot,  when  I  observed  my  master  and  his 
friend  whispering  long  together,  sometimes  pointing  at 
me  ;  and  my  fears  made  me  fancy  that  I  overheard  and 
understood  some  of  their  words.  But  the  next  morning 
my  little  nurse  told  me  the  whole  matter,  which  she  had 
cunningly  picked  out  from  her  mother.  The  poor  girl 
laid  me  on  her  bosom,  and  fell  weeping  with  shame  and 
grief.  She  feared  some  mischief  would  happen  to  me 
from  rude  vulgar  folks,  who  might  squeeze  me  to  death, 
or  break  one  of  my  limbs  by  taking  me  in  their  hands. 
She  had  also  observed  how  modest  I  was  in  my  nature, 
how  nicely  I  regarded  my  honor,  and  what  an  indignity 
I  should  conceive  it,  to  be  exposed  for  money  as  a  pub- 
lic spectacle  to  the  meanest  of  the  people.  She  said  her 
papa  and  mamma  had  promised  that  Grildrig  should  be 
hers  ;  but  now  she  found  they  meant  to  serve  her  as 
they  did  last  year,  when  they  pretended  to  give  her  a 
lamb,  and  yet,  as  soon  as  it  was  fat,  sold  it  to  a  butcher. 


116  gulliver's  travels 

For  my  own  part  I  was  less  concerned  than  my  nurse. 
I  had  a  strong  hope,  which  never  left  me,  that  I  should 
one  day  recover  my  liberty ;  and  as  to  the  ignominy  of 
being  carried  about  for  a  monster,  I  considered  myself 
to  be  a  perfect  stranger  in  the  country,  and  that  such  a 
misfortune  could  never  be  charged  upon  me  as  a  re- 
proach, if  ever  I  should  return  to  England ;  since  the 
king  of  Great  Britain  himself,  in  my  condition,  must 
have  undergone  the  same  distress. 

My  master  carried  me  in  a  box  the  next  market-day 
to  the  neighboring  town,  and  took  along  with  him  his 
little  daughter,  my  nurse,  upon  a  pillion 1  behind  him. 
The  box  was  close  on  every  side,  with  a  little  door  for 
me  to  go  in  and  out,  and  a  few  gimlet  holes  to  let  in 
air.  The  girl  had  been  so  careful  as  to  put  the  quilt  of 
her  baby's  bed  into  it,  for  me  to  lie  down  on.  However, 
I  was  terribly  shaken  in  this  journey,  though  it  were 
but  of  half  an  hour  :  for  the  horse  went  about  forty  feet 
at  every  step,  and  trotted  so  high,  that  the  agitation  was 
equal  to  the  rising  and  falling  of  a  ship  in  a  great  storm, 
but  much  more  frequent.  Our  journey  was  somewhat 
further  than  from  London  to  St.  Albans.  My  master 
alighted  at  an  inn,  and  after  consulting  awhile  with  the 
innkeeper,  and  making  some  necessary  preparations,  he 
hired  the  crier,  to  give  notice  through  the  town  of  a 
strange  creature  to  be  seen  at  the  sign  of  the  Green 
Eagle,  not  so  big  as  a  splacnuoh  (an  animal  in  that 
country,  very  finely  shaped,  about  six  feet  long),  and  in 
every  part  of  the  body  resembling  a  human  creature  ; 
1  A  cushion  for  a  woman  to  ride  behind  a  man  on  horseback. 


A  VOYAGE  TO  BKOBDINGNAG 


117 


could  speak  several  words,  and  perform  a  hundred  di- 
verting tricks. 

I  was  placed  upon  a  table  in  the  largest  room  of  the 
inn,  which  might  be  nearly  three  hundred  feet  square. 
My  little  nurse  stood  on  a  low  stool  close  to  the  table, 


to  take  care  of  me,  and  direct  what  I  should  do.  My 
master,  to  avoid  a  crowd,  would  suffer  only  thirty  peo- 
ple at  a  time  to  see  me.  I  walked  about  the  table  as 
the  girl  commanded  :  she  asked  me  questions,  as  far  as 
she  knew  my  understanding  of  the  language  reached, 
and  I  answered  them  as  loud  as  I  could.    I  turned  about 


118  GULLIVER'S   TRAVELS 

several  times  to  the  company,  paid  my  humble  respects, 
said  they  were  welcome,  and  used  some  other  speeches  I 
had  been  taught.  I  took  up  a  thimble  filled  with  liquor, 
which  Glumdalclitch  had  given  me  for  a  cup,  and  drank 
their  health.  I  drew  out  my  sword,  and  flourished  with 
it  after  the  manner  of  fencers  in  England.  My  nurse 
gave  me  part  of  a  straw,  which  I  exercised  as  a  pike, 
having  learned  the  art  in  my  youth.  I  was  that  day 
shown  to  twelve  sets  of  company,  and  as  often  forced  to 
act  over  again  the  same  fooleries,  till  I  was  half  dead 
with  weariness  and  vexation  :  for  those  who  had  seen 
me  made  such  wonderful  reports  that  the  people  were 
ready  to  break  down  the  doors  to  come  in.  My  master 
would  not  suffer  any  one  to  touch  me  except  my  nurse : 
and,  to  prevent  danger,  benches  were  set  round  the 
table  at  such  a  distance  as  put  me  out  cf  everybody's 
reach.  However,  a  mischievous  schoolboy  aimed  a  hazel- 
nut directly  at  my  head,  which  very  narrowly  missed  me; 
otherwise  it  came  with  so  much  violence  that  it  would 
have  knocked  out  my  brains,  for  it  was  almost  as  large  as 
a  small  pumpkin  ;  but  I  had  the  satisfaction  to  see  the 
young  rogue  well  beaten  and  turned  out  of  the  room. 

My  master  gave  public  notice  that  he  would  show  me 
again  the  next  market-day;  and  in  the  meantime  he 
prepared  a  more  convenient  vehicle  for  me,  which  he 
had  reason  enough  to  do ;  for  I  was  so  tired  with  my 
first  journey,  and  with  entertaining  company  for  eight 
hours  together,  that  I  could  hardly  stand  upon  my  legs 
or  speak  a  word.  I  was  three  days  recovering  my 
strength ;  and  that  I  might  have  no  ''est  at  home,  all  the 


120  Gulliver's  travels 

gentlemen  from  a  hundred  miles  round,  hearing  of  my 
fame,  came  to  see  me  at  my  master's  own  house.  There 
could  not  be  fewer  than  thirty  persons,  with  their  wives 
and  children  (for  the  country  was  very  populous)  ;  and 
my  master  demanded  the  rate  of  a  full  room  whenever 
he  showed  me  at  home,  although  it  were  only  to  a  single 
family :  so  that  for  some  time  I  had  but  little  ease  every 
day  of  the  week  (except  Wednesday,  which  is  their 
Sabbath),  although  I  were  not  carried  to  the  town. 

My  master,  finding  how  profitable  I  was  like  to  be, 
resolved  to  carry  me  to  the  most  considerable  cities  of 
the  kingdom.  Having  therefore  provided  himself  with 
all  things  necessary  for  a  long  journey,  and  settled  his 
affairs  at  home,  he  took  leave  of  his  wife,  and  upon 
August  17,  1703,  about  two  months  after  my  arrival, 
we  set  out  for  the  metropolis,  situated  near  the  middle 
of  that  empire,  and  about  three  thousand  miles  distant 
from  our  house.  My  master  made  his  daughter  ride 
behind  him.  She  carried  me  on  her  lap,  in  a  box  tied 
about  her  waist.  The  girl  had  lined  it  on  all  sides  with 
the  softest  cloth  she  could  get,  well  quilted  underneath, 
furnished  it  with  her  doll's  bed,  provided  me  with  linen 
and  other  necessaries,  and  made  everything  as  comfort- 
able as  she  could.  We  had  no  other  company  but  a  boy 
of  the  house,  who  rode  after  us  with  the  luggage. 

My  master's  design  was  to  show  me  in  all  the  towns 
by  the  way,  and  to  step  out  of  the  road  for  fifty  or  a 
hundred  miles  to  any  village  or  person  of  quality's  house, 
where  he  might  expect  custom.  We  made  easy  journeys 
of  not  above  seven  or  eight  score   miles  a  day :   for 


A  VOYAGE  TO   BROBDINGNAG  121 

Glumdalclitch,  on  purpose  to  spare  me,  complained  she 
was  tired  with  the  trotting  of  the  horse.  She  often 
took  me  out  of  my  box,  at  my  own  desire,  to  give  me 
air  and  show  me  the  country,  but  always  held  me  fast 
by  a  leading  string.  We  passed  over  five  or  six  rivers 
many  degrees  broader  and  deeper  than  the  Nile  or  the 
Ganges ;  and  there  was  hardly  a  rivulet  so  small  as  the 
Thames  at  London  Bridge.  We  were  ten  weeks  in  our 
journey,  and  I  was  shown  in  eighteen  large  towns,  be- 
sides many  villages  and  private  families. 

On  October  26  we  arrived  at  the  metropolis,  called  in 
their  language  the  Pride  of  the  Universe.  My  master 
took  a  lodging  in  the  principal  street  of  the  city,  not  far 
from  the  royal  palace,  and  put  out  bills  in  the  usual  form, 
containing  an  exact  description  of  my  person  and  accom- 
plishments. He  hired  a  large  room,  provided  a  table 
sixty  feet  in  diameter,  upon  which  I  was  to  act  my  part, 
and  palisadoed  it  round  three  feet  from  the  edge,  and 
as  many  high,  to  prevent  my  falling  over.  I  was  shown 
ten  times  a  day,  to  the  wonder  and  satisfaction  of  all 
people.  I  could  now  speak  the  language  tolerably  well, 
and  perfectly  understood  every  word  that  was  spoken 
to  me.  Besides,  I  had  learned  their  alphabet,  and  could 
make  a  shift  to  explain  a  sentence  here  and  there ;  for 
my  little  nurse  had  been  my  instructor  while  we  were 
at  home  and  at  leisure  hours  during  our  journey.  She 
carried  a  little  book  in  her  pocket  not  much  larger  than 
an  Atlas ;  it  was  a  common  treatise  for  the  use  of  young 
girls,  giving  a  short  account  of  their  religion ;  out  of 
this  she  taught  me  my  letters  and  interpreted  the  words. 


CHAPTER  III 

The  Author  is  sent  for  to  Court  —  The  Queen  buys  him  of  his  Master 
the  Farmer,  and  presents  him  to  the  King  —  He  disputes  with  his 
Majesty's  Great  Scholars  —  An  Apartment  at  Court  provided  for  the 
Author  — He  is  in  High  Favor  with  the  Queen  —  He  stands  up  for  the 
Honor  of  his  Own  Country  —  His  Quarrels  with  the  Queen's  Dwarf. 

The  frequent  labors  I  underwent  every  day  made  in 
a  few  weeks  a  very  considerable  change  in  my  health ; 
the  more  my  master  got  by  me,  the  more  insatiable  he 
grew.  I  was  almost  reduced  to  a  skeleton.  The  farmer 
observed  it,  and  concluding  I  soon  must  die,  resolved  to 
make  as  much  money  out  of  me  as  he  could.  While  he 
was  thus  reasoning  and  resolving  with  himself,  a  gentle- 
man-usher came  from  court,  commanding  my  master  to 
carry  me  thither  for  the  diversion  of  the  queen  and  her 
ladies.  Some  of  the  latter  had  already  been  to  see  me, 
and  reported  strange  things  of  my  beauty,  behavior, 
and  good  sense.  Her  majesty,  and  those  who  attended 
her,  were  beyond  measure  delighted  with  my  demeanor. 
I  fell  on  my  knees,  and  begged  the  honor  of  kissing  her 
imperial  foot;  but  this  gracious  princess  held  out  her 
little  finger  towards  me,  after  I  was  set  on  a  table,  which 
I  embraced  in  both  my  arms,  and  put  the  tip  of  it  with 
the  utmost  respect  to  my  lips.  She  asked  some  ques- 
tions about  my  country  and  my  travels,  which  I  answered 
as   distinctly,  and  in   as  few  words  as   I  could.     She 

122 


A  VOYAGE  TO   BEOBDINGNAG  123 

asked,  Whether  I  would  be  content  to  live  at  court  ? 
I  bowed  down  to  the  board  of  the  table,  and  humbly 
answered,  That  I  was  my  master's  slave ;  but  if  I  were 
at  my  own  disposal,  I  should  be  proud  to  devote  my 
life  to  her  majesty's  service.  She  then  asked  my  mas- 
ter, Whether  he  were  willing  to  sell  me  at  a  good  price  ? 
He,  who  thought  I  could  not  live  a  month,  was  ready 
enough  to  part  with  me,  and  demanded  a  thousand 
pieces  of  gold,  which  were  ordered  him  on  the  spot.  I 
then  said  to  the  queen,  Since  I  was  now  her  majesty's 
most  humble  creature  and  vassal,  I  must  beg  the  favor 
that  my  nurse,  who  had  always  tended  me  with  so  much 
care  and  kindness,  and  understood  to  do  it  so  well, 
might  be  admitted  into  her  service,  and  continue  to  be 
my  companion  and  instructor. 

Her  majesty  agreed  to  my  petition,  and  easily  got  the 
farmer's  consent,  who  was  glad  enough  to  have  his 
daughter  preferred  at  court,  and  the  poor  girl  herself 
was  not  able  to  hide  her  joy.  My  late  master  withdrew, 
bidding  me  farewell,  and  saying  he  had  left  me  in  a 
good  service  :  to  which  I  replied  not  a  word,  only  mak- 
ing him  a  slight  bow. 

The  queen  observed  my  coldness,  and  when  the 
farmer  was  gone  out  of  the  apartment,  asked  me  the 
reason.  I  made  bold  to  tell  her  majesty,  that  I  owed 
no  other  obligation  to  my  late  master  than  his  not  dash- 
ing out  the  brains  of  a  poor  harmless  creature,  found  by 
chance  in  his  field ;  which  obligation  was  amply  recom- 
pensed by  the  gain  he  had  made  in  showing  me  through 
half  the  kingdom,  and  the  price  he  had  now  sold  me 


124  gulliver's  travels 

for  ;  that  the  life  I  had  since  led  was  enough  to  kill  an 
animal  of  ten  times  my  strength ;  that  my  health  was 
much  impaired  by  the  continual  drudgery  of  entertain- 
ing the  rabble  every  hour  of  the  day ;  and  that  if  my 
master  had  not  thought  my  life  in  danger,  her  majesty 
would  not  have  got  so  cheap  a  bargain.  But  as  I  was 
out  of  all  fear  of  being  ill-treated,  under  the  protection 
of  so  great  and  good  an  empress,  the  ornament  of  nature, 
the  darling  of  the  world,  the  delight  of  her  subjects, 
the  phoenix  of  the  creation ;  so,  I  hoped  my  late  mas- 
ter's fears  would  appear  to  be  groundless ;  for  I  already 
found  my  spirits  reviving  by  the  influence  of  her  most 
august  presence. 

This  was  the  sum  of  my  speech,  delivered  with  great 
improprieties  and  hesitation.  The  latter  part  was  alto- 
gether framed  in  the  style  peculiar  to  that  people, 
whereof  I  learned  some  phrases  from  my  nurse  while 
she  was  carrying  me  to  court. 

The  queen  was  surprised  at  so  much  wit  and  good 
sense  in  so  diminutive  an  animal.  She  took  me  in  her 
own  hands,  and  carried  me  to  the  king,  who  was  then 
retired  to  his  cabinet.  His  majesty,  a  prince  of  much 
gravity  and  austere  countenance,  not  well  observing  my 
shape  at  first  view,  asked  the  queen  after  a  cold  manner, 
How  long  it  was  since  she  grew  fond  of  a  mannikin  ? 
for  such,  it  seems,  he  took  me  to  be,  as  I  lay  upon  my 
breast  in  her  majesty's  right  hand.  But  this  princess, 
who  hath  a  deal  of  wit  and  humor,  set  me  gently  on  my 
feet  upon  the  writing-desk,  and  commanded  me  to  give 
his  majesty  an  account  of  myself,  which  I  did  in  a  very 


A  VOYAGE   TO   BBOBDINGNAG  125 

few  words;  and  Glumdalclitch,  who  attended  at  the 
cabinet  door,  confirmed  all  that  had  passed  from  my 
arrival  at  her  father's  house. 

The  king,  although  he  was  as  learned  a  person  as  any 
in  his  dominions,  had  been  educated  in  the  study  of 
philosophy,  and  particularly  mathematics ;  yet  when  he 
observed  my  shape  exactly,  and  saw  me  walk  erect,  be- 
fore I  began  to  speak,  conceived  I  might  be  a  piece  of 
clock-work,  contrived  by  some  ingenious  artist.  But 
when  he  heard  my  voice,  and  found  what  I  delivered  to 
be  regular  and  rational,  he  could  not  conceal  his  aston- 
ishment. He  was  by  no  means  satisfied  with  the  rela- 
tion I  gave  him  of  the  manner  I  came  into  his  kingdom, 
but  thought  it  a  story  concerted  between  the  girl  and 
her  father,  who  had  taught  me  a  set  of  words,  to  make 
me  sell  at  a  higher  price.  Thinking  this,  he  put  several 
questions  to  me,  and  still  received  rational  answers,  no 
otherwise  defective,  than  by  a  foreign  accent,  and  an 
imperfect  knowledge  in  the  language,  with  some  rustic 
phrases  which  I  had  learned  at  the  farmer's  house,  and 
did  not  suit  the  polite  style  of  a  court. 

His  majesty  sent  for  three  great  scholars,  who  were 
then  in  their  weekly  attendance  on  the  king,  according 
to  the  custom  in  that  country.  These  gentlemen,  after 
they  had  awhile  examined  my  shape  with  much  nicety, 
were  of  different  opinions  concerning  me.  They  all 
agreed  that  I  could  not  be  produced  according  to  the 
regular  laws  of  nature,  because  I  was  not  framed  with 
a  capacity  of  preserving  my  life,  either  by  swiftness,  or 
climbing  of  trees,  or  digging  holes  in  the  earth.     They 


126  Gulliver's  travels 

observed  by  my  teeth,  which  they  viewed  with  great 
exactness,  that  I  was  a  carnivorous  animal ;  yet,  most 
quadrupeds  being  an  overmatch  for  me,  and  field-mice, 
with  some  others,  too  nimble,  they  could  not  imagine 
how  I  should  be  able  to  support  myself,  unless  I  fed 
upon  snails  and  other  insects,  which  they  offered,  by 
many  learned  arguments,  to  show  that  I  could  not  pos- 
sibly do.  One  of  these  Scholars  seemed  to  think  that  I 
might  be  an  embryo,  or  abortive  birth.  But  this  opin- 
ion was  rejected  by  the  other  two,  who  observed  my 
limbs  to  be  perfect  and  finished ;  and  that  I  had  lived 
several  years,  as  it  was  manifest  from  my  beard,  the 
stumps  whereof  they  plainly  discovered  through  a  mag- 
nifying glass.  They  would  not  allow  me  to  be  a  dwarf, 
because  my  littleness  was  beyond  all  degrees  of  com- 
parison ;  for  the  queen's  favorite  dwarf,  the  smallest 
ever  known  in  that  kingdom,  was  nearly  thirty  feet 
high.  After  much  debate,  they  concluded  unanimously, 
that  I  was  a  sport  of  nature  ;  or  natural  curiosity  ;  a 
determination  exactly  agreeable  to  the  modern  philoso- 
phy of  Europe,  whose  professors,  disdaining  the  old 
evasion  of  occult  causes,  whereby  the  followers  of  Aris- 
totle endeavor  in  vain  to  disguise  their  ignorance,  have 
invented  this  wonderful  solution  of  all  difficulties,  to 
the  unspeakable  advancement  of  human  knowledge. 

After  this  decisive  conclusion,  I  entreated  to  be  heard 
a  word  or  two.  I  assured  his  majesty  that  I  came  from 
a  country  which  abounded  with  several  millions  of  both 
sexes,  and  of  my  own  stature  ;  where  the  animals,  trees, 
and  houses  were  all  in  proportion,  and  where,  by  conse- 


A  VOYAGE  TO  BROBDINGNAG  127 

quence,  I  might  be  as  able  to  defend  myself  and  to 
find  sustenance  as  any  of  his  majesty's  subjects  could  do 
here  ;  which  I  took  for  a  full  answer  to  those  gentle- 
men's arguments.  To  this  they  only  replied  with  a 
smile  of  contempt,  saying,  that  the  farmer  had  instructed 
me  very  well  in  my  lesson.  The  king,  dismissing  his 
learned  men,  sent  for  the  farmer,  who,  by  good  fortune, 
was  not  yet  gone  out  of  town.  Having  first  examined 
him  privately,  and  then  confronted  him  with  me  and 
the  young  girl,  his  majesty  began  to  think  that  what  we 
told  him  might  possibly  be  true.  He  desired  the  queen 
to  order  that  a  particular  care  should  be  taken  of  me  ; 
and  was  of  opinion  that  the  girl  should  still  continue 
in  her  office  of  tending  me,  because  he  observed  we  had 
a  great  affection  for  each  other.  An  apartment  was 
provided  for  her  at  court ;  she  had  a  sort  of  governess 
appointed  to  take  care  of  her  education,  a  maid  to  dress 
her,  and  two  other  servants  for  menial  offices ;  but  the 
care  of  me  was  wholly  appropriated  to  herself.  The 
queen  commanded  her  own  cabinet-maker  to  contrive  a 
box,  that  might  serve  me  for  a  bed-chamber,  after  the 
model  that  Glumdalclitch  and  I  should  agree  upon. 
This  man  was  a  most  ingenious  artist,  and  according  to 
my  directions,  in  three  weeks,  finished  for  me  a  wooden 
chamber,  of  sixteen  feet  square,  and  twelve  high,  with 
sash-windows,  a  door,  and  two  closets,  like  a  London 
bed-chamber.  The  board  that  made  the  ceiling  was  to 
be  lifted  up  and  down  by  two  hinges,  to  put  in  a  bed, 
ready  furnished  by  her  majesty's  upholsterer,  which  the 
girl  took  out  every  day  to  air,  made  it  with  her  own 


128  gtjlliver's  travels 

hands,  and  letting  it  down  at  night,  locked  up  the  roof 
over  me.  A  workman,  skilled  in  fine  work,  undertook 
to  make  me  two  chairs,  with  backs  and  frames,  of  a  sub- 
stance not  unlike  ivory,  and  two  tables,  with  a  cabinet 
to  put  my  things  in.  The  room  was  quilted  on  all  sides, 
as  well  as  the  floor  and  the  ceiling,  to  prevent  any  acci- 
dent from  the  carelessness  of  those  who  carried  me,  and 
to  break  the  force  of  a  jolt,  when  I  went  in  a  coach.  I 
desired  a  lock  for  my  door  to  prevent  rats  and  mice  from 
coming  in.  The  smith,  after  several  attempts,  made 
the  smallest  that  ever  was  seen  among  them,  for  I  have 
known  a  larger  at  the  gate  of  a  gentleman's  house  in 
England.  I  made  a  shift  to  keep  the  key  in  a  pocket 
of  my  own,  fearing  Glumdalclitch  might  lose  it.  The 
queen  ordered  the  thinnest  silks  that  could  be  gotten, 
to  make  me  clothes,  not  much  thicker  than  an  English 
blanket,  very  cumbersome  till  I  was  accustomed  to  them. 
They  were  after  the  fashion  of  the  kingdom,  partly 
resembling  the  Persian,  and  partly  the  Chinese,  and  are 
a  very  grave  and  decent  habit. 

The  queen  became  so  fond  of  my  company,  that  she 
could  not  dine  without  me.  I  had  a  table  placed  upon 
the  same  at  which  her  majesty  eat,  just  at  her  left  elbow, 
and  a  chair  to  sit  on.  Glumdalclitch  stood  upon  a 
stool  on  the  floor  near  my  table,  to  assist  and  take  care 
of  me.  I  had  an  entire  set  of  silver  dishes  and  plates, 
and  other  necessaries,  which  in  proportion  to  those  of 
the  queen,  were  not  much  bigger  than  what  I  had  seen 
of  the  same  kind  in  a  London  toy-shop,  for  the  furniture 
of  a  baby-house:  these  my  little  nurse  kept  in  her  pocket 


130  Gulliver's  travels 

in  a  silver  box,  and  gave  me  at  meals  as  I  wanted  them, 
always  cleaning  them  herself.  No  person  dined  with 
the  queen  but  the  two  princesses  royal,  the  elder  sixteen 
years  old,  and  the  younger  at  that  time  thirteen  and  a 
month.  Her  majesty  used  to  put  a  bit  of  meat  upon  one 
of  my  dishes,  out  of  which  I  carved  for  myself,  and  her 
diversion  was  to  see  me  eat  in  miniature ;  for  the  queen 
took  up,  at  one  mouthful,  as  much  as  a  dozen  English 
farmers  could  eat  at  a  meal,  which  to  me  was,  for  some 
time,  a  very  nauseous  sight.  She  would  crunch  the 
wing  of  a  lark,  bones  and  all,  between  her  teeth,  although 
it  were  nine  times  as  large  as  that  of  a  full-grown  turkey ; 
and  put  a  bit  of  bread  in  her  mouth  as  big  as  two  twelve- 
penny  loaves.  She  drank  out  of  a  golden  cup  about  a 
hogshead  at  a  draught.  Her  knives  were  twice  as  long 
as  a  scythe,  set  straight  upon  the  handle.  The  spoons, 
forks  and  other  instruments  were  all  in  the  same  pro- 
portion. I  remember  when  Glumdalclitch  carried  me, 
out  of  curiosity,  to  see  some  of  the  tables  at  court,  where 
ten  or  a  dozen  of  those  enormous  knives  and  forks  were 
lifted  up  together,  I  thought  I  had  never,  till  then,  be- 
held so  terrible  a  sight. 

It  is  the  custom,  that  every  Wednesday  the  king  and 
queen,  with  the  royal  issue  of  both  sexes,  dine  together 
in  the  apartment  of  his  majesty,  to  whom  I  was  now  be- 
come a  great  favorite  ;  and  at  these  times,  my  little  chair 
and  table  were  placed  at  his  left  hand,  before  one  of  the 
salt-cellars.  This  prince  took  a  pleasure  in  conversing 
with  me,  inquiring  into  the  manners,  religion,  laws,  gov- 
ernment, and  learning  of  Europe ;  wherein  I  gave  him 


A   VOYAGE  TO   BROBDINGNAG  131 

the  best  account  I  was  able.  His  apprehension  was  so 
clear,  and  his  judgment  so  exact,  that  he  made  very  wise 
reflections  and  observations  upon  all  I  said.  But,  I  con- 
fess, that,  after  I  had  been  a  little  too  copious  in  talking 
of  my  own  beloved  country,  of  our  trade,  and  wars  by 
sea  and  land,  of  our  schisms  in  religion  and  parties  in 
the  state,  the  prejudices  of  his  education  prevailed  so 
far,  that  he  could  not  resist  taking  me  up  in  his  right 
hand,  and  stroking  me  gently  with  the  other,  after  a 
hearty  fit  of  laughing,  asked  me,  Whether  I  were  a  Whig 
or  a  Tory?  Then  turning  to  his  first  minister,  who 
waited  behind  him  with  a  white  staff,  near  as  tall  as  the 
mainmast  of  the  Royal  Sovereign,  he  observed,  How  con- 
temptible a  thing  was  human  grandeur,  which  could  be 
mimicked  by  such  diminutive  insects  as  I ;  and  yet,  said 
he,  I  dare  engage,  these  creatures  have  their  titles  and 
distinctions  of  honor ;  they  contrive  little  nests  and  bur- 
rows, that  they  call  houses  and  cities ;  they  make  a  figure 
in  dress  and  equipage ;  they  love,  they  fight,  they  dis- 
pute, they  cheat,  they  betray !  And  thus  he  continued 
on,  while  my  color  came  and  went  with  indignation,  to 
hear  our  noble  country,  the  mistress  of  arts  and  arms, 
the  scourge  of  France,  the  arbitress  of  Europe,  the  seat 
of  virtue,  piety,  honor,  and  truth,  the  pride  and  envy  of 
the  world,  so  contemptuously  treated. 

But  as  I  was  not  in  a  condition  to  resent  injuries,  I 
began  to  doubt  whether  I  was  injured  or  no.  For,  after 
having  been  accustomed  several  months  to  the  sight  and 
converse  of  this  people,  and  observed  every  object  upon 
which  I  cast  my  eyes  to  be  of  proportionable  magnitude, 


132 


GULLIVER'S   TRAVELS 


the  horror  I  had  first  conceived  from  their  bulk  and 
aspect  was  so  far  worn  off,  that  if  I  had  then  beheld  a 


company  of  English  lords  and  ladies  in  their  finery  and 
birthday  clothes,  acting  their  several  parts  in  the  most 
courtly  manner  of  strutting,  and  bowing,  and  prating ; 


A  VOYAGE  TO   BUOBDINGNAG  133 

to  say  the  truth,  I  should  have  been  strongly  tempted 
to  laugh  as  much  at  them  as  the  king  and  his  grandees 
did  at  me.  Neither,  indeed,  could  I  help  smiling  at  my- 
self, when  the  queen  used  to  place  me  upon  her  hand 
towards  a  looking-glass,  by  which  both  our  persons  ap- 
peared before  me  in  full  view  together ;  and  there  could 
be  nothing  more  ridiculous  than  the  comparison  :  so  that 
I  really  began  to  imagine  myself  dwindled  many  degrees 
below  my  usual  size. 

Nothing  angered  me  so  much  as  the  queen's  dwarf; 
who,  being  of  the  lowest  stature  that  was  ever  in  that 
•country  (for  I  verily  think  he  was  not  full  thirty  feet 
^igh),  became  so  insolent  at  seeing  a  creature  so  much 
beneath  him,  that  he  would  always  affect  to  swagger 
and  look  big  as  he  passed  by  me  in  the  queen's  ante- 
chamber, while  I  was  standing  on  some  table,  talking 
with  the  lords  or  ladies  of  the  court,  and  he  seldom 
failed  of  a  smart  word  or  two  upon  my  littleness  ;  against 
which  I  could  only  revenge  myself  by  calling  him  brother, 
challenging  him  to  wrestle,  and  such  repartees  as  are 
usual  in  the  mouths  of  court  pages.  One  day,  at  dinner, 
this  malicious  little  cub  was  so  nettled  with  something  I 
had  said  to  him,  that,  raising  himself  upon  the  frame  of 
her  majesty's  chair,  he  took  me  up  by  the  middle,  as  I  was 
sitting  down,  not  thinking  any  harm,  and  let  me  drop 
into  a  large  silver  bowl  of  cream,  and  then  ran  away  as 
fast  as  he  could.  1  fell  over  head  and  ears,  and,  if  I  had 
not  been  a  good  swimmer,  it  might  have  gone  very  hard 
with  me ;  for  Glumdalclitch  in  that  instant  happened  to 
be  at  the  other  end  of  the  room,  and  the  queen  was  in 


134 


gulliver's  travels 


such  a  fright,  that  she  wanted  presence  of  mind  to  assist 
me.  But  my  little  nurse  ran  to  my  relief,  and  took  me 
out,  after  I  had  swallowed  above  a  quart  of  cream.  I 
was  put  to  bed :  but  I  received  no  other  damage  than 
the  loss  of  a  suit  of  clothes,  which  was  utterly  spoiled. 


The  dwarf  was  soundly  whipped,  and,  as  a  further  pun- 
ishment, forced  to  drink  up  the  bowl  of  cream  into  which 
he  had  thrown  me  :  neither  was  he  ever  restored  to  favor; 
for  soon  after  the  queen  bestowed  him  on  a  lady  of  high 
quality ;  so  that  I  saw  him  no  more. 


A   VOYAGE  TO  BEOBDHSTGNAG  135 

He  had  before  served  me  a  scurvy  trick,  which  set 
the  queen  laughing,  although  at  the  same  time  she  was 
heartily  vexed,  and  would  have  immediately  cashiered 
him,  if  I  had  not  been  so  generous  as  to  intercede.  Her 
majesty  had  taken  a  marrow-bone  upon  her  plate,  and, 
after  knocking  out  the  marrow,  placed  the  bone  again 
in  the  dish  erect,  as  it  stood  before  ;  the  dwarf,  watch- 
ing his  opportunity  while  Glumdalclitch  was  gone  to  the 
sideboard,  mounted  the  stool  she  stood  on  to  take  care 
of  me  at  meals,  took  me  up  in  both  hands,  and  squeez- 
ing my  legs  together,  wedged  them  into  the  marrow- 
bone above  my  waist,  where  I  stuck  for  some  time, 
and  made  a  very  ridiculous  figure.  I  believe  it  was 
nearly  a  minute  before  any  one  knew  what  was  become 
of  me  ;  for  I  thought  it  below  me  to  cry  out.  But,  as 
princes  seldom  get  their  meat  hot,  my  legs  were  not 
scalded,  only  my  stockings  and  breeches  in  a  sad  con- 
dition. The  dwarf,  at  my  entreaty,  had  no  other  pun- 
ishment than  a  sound  whipping. 

I  was  frequently  rallied  by  the  queen  upon  account 
of  my  fearfulness  ;  and  she  used  to  ask  me  whether  the 
people  of  my  country  were  as  great  cowards  as  myself  ? 
The  occasion  was  this  :  The  kingdom  is  much  pestered 
with  flies  in  summer  ;  and  these  odious  insects,  each  of 
them  as  big  as  a  common  skylark,  hardly  gave  me  any 
rest  while  I  sat  at  dinner,  with  their  continual  hum- 
ming and  buzzing  about  my  ears.  They  would  some- 
times alight  upon  my  victuals,  and  sometimes  they 
would  fix  upon  my  nose  or  forehead,  where  they  stung 
me  to  the  quick.     I  had  much  ado  to  defend  myself 


136  GULLIVER'S  TRAVELS 

against  these  detestable  animals,  and  could  not  help 
starting  when  they  came  on  my  face.  It  was  the  com- 
mon practice  of  the  dwarf  to  catch  a  number  of  these 
insects  in  his  hand,  as  schoolboys  do  among  us,  and  let 
them  out  suddenly  under  my  nose,  on  purpose  to 
frighten  me  and  divert  the  queen.  My  remedy  was  to 
cut  them  in  pieces  with  my  knife,  as  they  flew  in  the 
air,  wherein  my  dexterity  was  much  admired. 

I  remember,  one  morning,  when  Glumdalclitch  had 
set  me  in  my  box  upon  a  window,  as  she  usually  did  in 
fair  days  to  give  me  air,  after  I  had  lifted  up  one  of  my 
sashes,  and  sat  down  at  my  table  to  eat  a  piece  of  sweet 
cake  for  my  breakfast,  above  twenty  wasps,  allured  by 
the  smell,  came  flying  into  the  room,  humming  louder 
than  the  drones  of  as  many  bagpipes.  Some  of  them 
seized  my  cake,  and  carried  it  piecemeal  away  ;  others 
flew  about  my  head  and  face,  confounding  me  with  the 
noise,  and  putting  me  in  the  utmost  terror  of  their 
stings.  However,  I  had  the  courage  to  rise  and  draw 
my  sword  and  attack  them  in  the  air.  I  dispatched 
four  of  them,  but  the  rest  got  away,  and  I  presently 
shut  my  window.  These  creatures  were  as  large  as 
partridges  ;  I  took  out  their  stings,  found  them  an  inch 
and  a  half  long,  and  as  sharp  as  needles.  I  carefully 
preserved  them  all  ;  and  having  since  shown  them,  with 
some  other  curiosities,  in  several  parts  of  Europe,  upon 
my  return  to  England  I  gave  three  of  them  to  Gresham 
College,  and  kept  the  fourth  for  myself. 


CHAPTER  IV 

The  Country  described  —  A  Proposal  for  correcting  Modern  Maps  — 
The  King's  Palace,  and  Some  Account  of  the  Metropolis  —  The 
Author's  Way  of  traveling  —  The  Chief  Temple  described. 

I  now  intend  to  give  the  reader  a  short  description 
of  this  country,  as  far  as  I  traveled  in  it,  which  was 
not  above  two  thousand  miles  round  the  metropolis  ; 
for  the  queen,  whom  I  always  attended,  never  went 
further  when  she  accompanied  the  king  in  his  progresses, 
and  there  stayed  till  his  majesty  returned  from  viewing 
his  frontiers.  The  whole  extent  of  this  prince's  do- 
minions reached  about  six  thousand  miles  in  length, 
and  from  three  to  five  in  breadth  :  from  whence,  I  can- 
not but  conclude,  that  our  geographers  of  Europe  are 
in  a  great  error,  by  supposing  nothing  but  sea  between 
Japan  and  California ;  for,  it  was  ever  my  opinion,  that 
there  must  be  a  balance  of  earth  to  counterpoise  the 
great  continent  of  Tartary  ;  and  therefore  they  ought 
to  correct  their  maps  and  charts,  by  joining  this  vast 
tract  of  land  with  the  northwest  parts  of  America, 
wherein  I  shall  be  ready  to  lend  them  my  assistance. 

The  kingdom  is  a  peninsula,  ending  at  the  northeast 
by  a  ridge  of  mountains  thirty  miles  high,  which  are 
altogether  impassable,  by  reason  of  the  volcanoes  upon 
the  tops  :  neither  do  the  most  learned  know  what  sort 
of  mortals  inhabit  beyond  those  mountains,  or  whether 

137 


138  gulliver's  travels 

they  are  inhabited  at  all.  On  the  three  other  sides  it 
is  bounded  by  the  ocean.  There  is  not  one  seaport  in 
the  whole  kingdom  :  and  those  parts  of  the  coasts  into 
which  the  rivers  issue  are  so  full  of  pointed  rocks,  and 
the  sea  generally  so  rough,  that  there  is  no  venturing 
with  the  smallest  of  their  boats  ;  so  that  these  people 
are  wholly  excluded  from  any  commerce  with  the  rest 
of  the  world.  But  the  large  rivers  are  full  of  vessels 
and  abound  with  excellent  fish  ;  for  they  seldom  get 
any  from  the  sea,  because  the  sea-fish  are  of  the  same 
size  with  those  in  Europe,  and  consequently  not  worth 
catching  ;  whereby  it  is  manifest,  that  nature,  in  the 
production  of  plants  and  animals  of  so  extraordinary  a 
bulk,  is  wholly  confined  to  this  continent,  of  which  I 
leave  the  reasons  to  be  determined  by  philosophers. 
However,  now  and  then,  they  take  a  whale  that  hap- 
pens to  be  dashed  against  the  rocks,  which  the  common 
people  feed  on  heartily.  These  whales  I  have  known 
so  large,  that  a  man  could  hardly  carry  one  upon  his 
shoulders  ;  and  sometimes,  for  curiosity,  they  are 
brought  in  hampers  to  the  capital  :  I  saw  one  of  them 
in  a  dish  at  the  king's  table,  which  passed  for  a  rarity, 
but  I  did  not  observe  he  was  fond  of  it  ;  for  I  think, 
indeed,  the  bigness  disgusted  him,  although  I  have  seen 
a  larger  one  in  Greenland. 

The  country  is  well  inhabited,  for  it  contains  fifty- 
one  cities,  nearly  a  hundred  walled  towns,  and  a  great 
number  of  villages.  The  capital  city  stands  upon  al- 
most two  equal  parts,  on  each  side  the  river  that  passes 
through.     It  contains   above  eighty  thousand   houses, 


140  gulliveh's  travels 

and  about  six  hundred  thousand  inhabitants.  It  is  in 
length  about  fifty-four  English  miles,  and  two  and  a 
half  in  breadth  ;  as  I  measured  it  myself  in  the  royal 
map,  made  by  the  king's  order,  which  was  laid  on  the 
ground  on  purpose  for  me,  and  extended  a  hundred 
feet :  I  paced  the  diameter  and  circumference  several 
times  barefoot,  and,  commuting  by  the  scale,  measured 
it  pretty  exactly. 

The  king's  palace  is  no  regular  edifice,  but  a  heap  of 
buildings,  about  seven  miles  round :  the  chief  rooms  are 
generally  two  hundred  and  forty  feet  high,  and  broad 
and  long  in  proportion.  A  coach  was  allowed  to  Glum- 
dalclitch  and  me,  wherein  her  governess  frequently  took 
her  out  to  see  the  town,  or  go  among  the  shops ;  and  I 
was  always  of  the  party,  carried  in  my  box;  although 
the  girl,  at  my  own  desire,  would  often  take  me  out  and 
hold  me  in  her  hand,  that  I  might  more  conveniently 
view  the  houses  and  the  people,  as  we  passed  along  the 
streets.  I  reckoned  our  coach  to  be  about  the  square  of 
Westminster  Hall,  but  not  altogether  so  high.  One  day 
the  governess  ordered  our  coachman  to  stop  at  several 
shops,  where  the  beggars,  watching  their  opportunity, 
crowded  to  the  sides  of  the  coach,  and  presented  the 
most  horrible  spectacles  that  ever  an  English  eye  beheld. 

Beside  the  large  box  in  which  I  was  usually  carried,  the 
queen  ordered  a  smaller  one  to  be  made  for  me,  of  about 
twelve  feet  square,  and  ten  high,  for  the  convenience  of 
traveling :  because  the  other  was  somewhat  too  large  for 
Glumdalclitch's  lap,  and  cumbersome  in  the  coach ;  it 
was  made  by  the  same  artist,  whom  I  directed  in  the 


A   VOYAGE   TO   BBOBDINGNAG  141 

whole  contrivance.  This  traveling  closet  was  an  exact 
square,  with  a  window  in  the  middle  of  three  of  the 
squares,  and  each  window  was  latticed  with  iron  wire  on 
the  outside,  to  prevent  accidents  in  long  journeys.  On 
the  fourth  side,  which  had  no  window,  two  strong  staples 
were  fixed,  through  which  the  person  that  carried  me, 
when  I  had  a  mind  to  be  on  horseback,  put  in  a  leathern 
belt,  and  buckled  it  about  his  waist.  This  was  always 
the  office  of  some  grave,  trusty  servant  in  whom  I  could 
confide,  whether  I  attended  the  king  and  queen  in  their 
progresses,  or  were  disposed  to  see  the  gardens,  or  pay 
a  visit  to  some  great  lady  or  minister  of  state  in  the 
court,  when  Glumdalclitch  happened  to  be  not  in  her 
usual  health ;  for  I  soon  began  to  be  known  and  esteemed 
among  the  greatest  officers ;  I  suppose  more  upon  account 
of  their  majesties'  favor,  than  any  merit  of  my  own.  In 
journeys,  when  I  was  weary  of  the  coach,  a  servant  on 
horseback  would  buckle  on  my  box,  and  place  it  upon  a 
cushion  before  him ;  and  there  I  had  a  full  prospect  of 
the  country  on  three  sides,  from  my  three  windows.  I 
had,  in  this  closet,  a  field-bed  and  a  hammock  hung  from 
the  ceiling,  two  chairs  and  a  table,  neatly  screwed  to  the 
floor,  to  prevent  being  tossed  about  by  the  agitation  of 
the  horse  or  the  coach.  And  having  been  long  used  to 
sea  voyages,  those  motions,  although  sometimes  very 
violent,  did  not  much  disturb  me. 

Whenever  I  had  a  mind  to  see  the  town,  it  was  always 
in  my  traveling  closet,  which  Glumdalclitch  held  in  her 
lap  in  a  kind  of  open  sedan,  after  the  fashion  of  the 
country,  borne  by  four  men  and  attended  by  two  others 


142  GULLIVEIl's    TRAVELS 

in  the  queen's  livery.  The  people  were  very  curious  to 
crowd  about  the  sedan,  and  the  girl  was  complaisant 
enough  to  make  the  bearers  stop  and  oo  take  me  in  her 
hand,  that  I  might  be  more  conveniently  seen. 

I  was  very  desirous  to  see  the  chief  temple,  and  par- 
ticularly the  tower  belonging  to  it,  which  is  reckoned 
the  highest  in  the  kingdom.  Accordingly  one  day  my 
nurse  carried  me  thither,  but  I  may  truly  say  I  came  back 
disappointed  ;  for  the  height  is  not  above  three  thousand 
feet,  reckoning  from  the  ground  to  the  highest  pinnacle 
top  ;  which,  allowing  for  the  difference  between  the 
size  of  those  people  and  us  in  Europe,  is  no  great  matter 
for  admiration.  But,  not  to  detract  from  a  nation,  to 
which,  during  my  life,  I  shall  acknowledge  myself  ex- 
tremely obliged,  it  must  be  allowed,  that  whatever  this 
famous  tower  wants  in  height  is  amply  made  up  in  beauty 
and  strength.  For  the  walls  are  nearly  a  hundred  feet 
thick,  built  of  hewn  stone,  whereof  each  is  about  forty 
feet  square  and  adorned  on  all  sides  with  statues  of  gods 
and  emperors,  cut  in  marble  larger  than  the  life,  placed 
in  their  several  niches.  I  measured  a  little  ringer  which 
had  fallen  down  from  one  of  these  statues,  and  found  it 
exactly  four  feet  and  an  inch  in  length.  Glumdalclitch 
wrapped  it  up  in  a  handkerchief,  and  carried  it  home  in 
her  pocket,  to  keep  among  other  trinkets,  of  which  the 
girl  was  very  fond,  as  children  at  her  age  usually  are. 

The  King's  kitchen  is  indeed  a  noble  building,  vaulted 
at  top,  and  about  six  hundred  feet  high.  The  great  oven 
is  not  so  wide  as  the  cupola  at  St.  Paul's ;  for  I  meas- 
ured the  latter  on  purpose,  after  my  return.     But  if  I 


A  VOYAGE  TO  BEOBDINGNA0- 


143 


should  describe  the  kitchen-grate,  the  prodigious  pots 
and  kettles,  the  joints  of  meat  turning  on  the  spits,  with 
many  other  particulars,  perhaps  I  should  be  hardly  be- 
lieved. To  avoid  which  censure  I  fear  I  have  run  too 
much  into  the  other  extreme ;  and  that,  if  this  treatise 
should  happen  to  be  translated  into  the  language  of  Brob- 
dingnag  (which  is  the  general  name  of  that  kingdom), 
and  transmitted  thither,  the  king  and  his  people  would 
have  reason  to  complain  that  I  had  done  them  an  injury, 
by  a  false  and  diminutive  representation. 

His  majesty  seldom  keeps  above  six  hundred  horses 
in  his  stables  :  they  are  generally  from  fifty-four  to  sixty 
feet  high.  But  when  he  goes  abroad  on  solemn  days, 
he  is  attended  by  a  militia  guard  of  five  hundred  horse. 


CHAPTER  V 

Several  Adventures  that  happened  to  the  Author — The  Execution  of 
a  Criminal  —  The  Author  shows  his  Skill  in  Navigation. 

I  should  have  lived  happy  enough  in  that  country 
if  my  littleness  had  not  exposed  me  to  several  trouble- 
some accidents,  some  of  which  I  shall  venture  to  relate. 
Glumdalclitch  often  carried  me  into  the  gardens  of  the 
court  in  my  smaller  box,  and  would  sometimes  take  me 
out  of  it,  and  hold  me  in  her  hand,  or  set  me  down  to 
walk.  I  remember,  before  the  dwarf  left  the  queen,  he 
followed  us  one  day  into  those  gardens,  and  my  nurse 
having  set  me  down,  he  and  I  being  close  together  near 
some  dwarf  apple-trees,  I  must  needs  show  my  wit  by 
a  silly  allusion  between  him  and  the  trees,  which  hap- 
pens to  hold  in  their  language  as  it  does  in  ours. 
Whereupon  the  malicious  rogue  shook  one  of  them 
directly  over  my  head,  by  which  a  dozen  apples,  each  of 
them  nearly  as  large  as  a  Bristol  barrel,  came  tumbling 
about  my  ears;  one  of  them  hit  me  on  the  back  as  I 
chanced  to  stoop,  and  knocked  me  down  flat  on  my  face ; 
but  I  received  no  other  hurt,  and  the  dwarf  was  pardoned 
at  my  desire,  because  I  had  given  the  provocation. 

Another  day  Glumdalclitch  left  me  on  a  smooth  grass- 
plot  to  divert  myself  while  she  walked  at  some  distance 
with  her  governess.  In  the  meantime  there  suddenly 
fell  such  a  violent  shower  of  hail,  that  I  was,  by  the 

144 


A  VOYAGE   TO   BROBDINGNAG  145 

force  of  it,  struck  to  the  ground :  and  when  I  was  down 
the  hailstones  gave  me  such  cruel  bangs  all  over  the 
body  as  if  I  had  been  pelted  with  tennis-balls ;  however, 
I  made  a  shift  to  creep  on  all-four  and  shelter  myself, 
by  lying  flat  on  my  face,  on  the  lee-side  of  a  border  of 
lemon-thyme,  but  so  bruised  from  head  to  foot  that  I 
could  not  go  abroad  in  ten  days.  Neither  is  this  at  all 
to  be  wondered  at,  because  nature  in  that  country,  ob- 
serving the  same  proportion  through  all  her  operations, 
a  hailstone  is  near  eighteen  hundred  times  as  large  as 
one  in  Europe;  which  I  can  assert  upon  experience, 
having  been  so  curious  as  to  weigh  and  measure  them. 
But  a  more  dangerous  accident  happened  to  me  in  the 
same  garden,  when  my  little  nurse,  believing  she  had  put 
me  in  a  secure  place  (which  I  often  entreated  her  to  do, 
that  I  might  enjoy  my  own  thoughts),  and  having  left 
my  box  at  home,  to  avoid  the  trouble  of  carrying  it, 
went  to  another  part  of  the  gardens,  with  her  governess 
and  some  ladies  of  her  acquaintance.  While  she  was 
absent,  and  out  of  hearing,  a  small  white  spaniel  got  by 
accident  into  the  garden  and  happened  to  range  near 
the  place  where  I  lay ;  the  dog  following  the  scent,  came 
directly  up,  and  taking  me  in  his  mouth,  ran  straight  to 
his  master,  wagging  his  tail,  and  set  me  gently  on  the 
ground.  By  good  fortune,  he  had  been  so  well  taught 
that  I  was  carried  between  his  teeth  without  the  least 
hurt,  or  even  tearing  my  clothes.  But  the  poor  gardener, 
who  knew  me  well,  was  in  a  terrible  fright :  he  gently 
took  me  up  in  both  his  hands  and  asked  me  how  I  did  ? 
but  I  was  so  amazed  and  out  of  breath  that  I  could  not 


146  GULLIVER'S   TRAVELS 

speak  a  word.  In  a  few  minutes  I  came  to  myself,  and 
he  carried  me  safe  to  my  little  nurse,  who  by  this  time  had 
returned  to  the  place  where  she  had  left  me,  and  was  in 
cruel  agonies  when  I  did  not  appear  nor  answer  when 
she  called.  She  severely  reprimanded  the  gardener  on 
account  of  his  dog.  But  the  thing  was  hushed  up,  for 
the  girl  was  afraid  of  the  queen's  anger ;  and  truly,  as 
to  myself,  I  thought  it  would  not  be  for  my  reputation 
that  such  a  story  should  go  about. 

This  accident  determined  Glumdalclitch  never  to  trust 
me  abroad  for  the  future,  out  of  her  sight.  I  had  been 
long  afraid  of  this  resolution,  and  therefore  concealed 
from  her  some  little  unlucky  adventures,  that  happened 
in  those  times  when  I  was  left  by  myself.  Once  a  kite 
hovering  over  the  garden,  made  a  stoop  at  me,  and  if  I 
had  not  resolutely  drawn  my  sword  and  run  under  a 
thick  espalier,  he  would  have  certainly  carried  me  away 
in  his  talons.  Another  time,  walking  to  the  top  of  a 
fresh  mole-hill,  I  fell  to  my  neck  in  the  hole,  through 
which  that  animal  had  cast  up  the  earth,  and  coined 
some  lie  to  excuse  myself  for  spoiling  my  clothes.  I 
likewise  broke  my  right  shin  against  the  shell  of  a 
snail,  which  I  happened  to  stumble  over,  as  I  was  walk- 
ing alone,  and  thinking  on  poor  England. 

I  cannot  tell  whether  I  were  more  pleased  or  morti- 
fied to  observe,  in  those  solitary  walks,  that  the  smaller 
birds  did  not  appear  to  be  at  all  afraid  of  me,  but  would 
hop  about  within  a  yard's  distance,  looking  for  worms 
and  other  food,  with  as  much  indifference  and  securit}^ 
as  if  no  creature  at  all  were  near  them.     I  remember,  a 


A  VOYAGE  TO   BKOBDINGNAG 


147 


thrush  had  the  confidence  to  snatch  out  of  my  hand, 
with  his  bill,  a  piece  of  cake  that  Glumdalclitch  had 
just  given  me  for  my  breakfast.     When  I  attempted  to 


catch  any  of  these  birds,  they  would  boldly  turn  against 
me ;  and  then  they  would  turn  back  unconcerned,  to 
hunt  for  worms  or  snails,  as  they  did  before.  But  one 
day  I  took  a  thick  cudgel  and  threw  it  with  all  my 


148  gulliver's  travels 

strength  so  luckily  at  a  linnet,  that  I  knocked  him 
down,  and  seizing  him  by  the  neck  with  both  my  hands, 
ran  with  him  in  triumph  to  my  nurse.  However,  the 
bird,  who  had  only  been  stunned,  recovering  himself, 
gave  me  so  many  boxes  with  his  wings  on  both  sides  of 
my  head  and  body,  though  I  held  him  at  arm's  length, 
and  was  out  of  the  reach  of  his  claws,  that  I  was  twenty 
times  thinking  to  let  him  go.  But  I  was  soon  relieved 
by  one  of  our  servants,  who  wrung  off  the  bird's  neck, 
and  I  had  him  next  day  for  dinner,  by  the  queen's  com- 
mand. This  linnet  seemed  to  be  somewhat  larger  than 
an  English  swan. 

The  maids  of  honor  often  invited  Glumdalclitch  to 
their  apartments,  and  desired  she  would  bring  me  along 
with  her,  on  purpose  to  have  the  pleasure  of  seeing  and 
touching  me.  They  would  often  lay  me  in  their  bosoms, 
wherewith  I  was  much  disgusted ;  because,  to  say  the 
truth,  a  very  offensive  smell  came  from  their  skins. 
Upon  this  point  I  cannot  forbear  doing  justice  to  the 
queen  my  mistress,  and  Glumdalclitch  my  nurse,  whose 
persons  were  as  sweet  as  that  of  any  lady  in  England. 

One  day,  a  young  gentleman,  who  was  nephew  to  my 
nurse's  governess,  came  and  pressed  them  both  to  see 
an  execution.  It  was  of  a  man  who  had  murdered  one 
of  that  gentleman's  intimate  acquaintance.  Glumdal- 
clitch was  prevailed  on  to  be  of  the  company  very  much 
against  her  inclination,  for  she  was  naturally  tender- 
hearted :  and  as  for  myself  my  curiosity  tempted  me  to 
see  something  that  I  thought  must  be  extraordinary. 
The  malefactor  was  fixed  in  a  chair  upon  a  scaffold 


150 


GULLIVER  S    TRAVELS 


erected  for  the  purpose,  and  his  head  cut  off  at  a  blow, 
with  a  sword  of  about  forty  feet  long.  The  veins  and 
arteries  spouted  up  such  a  prodigious  quantity  of  blood, 
and  so  high  in  the  air,  that  the  great  jet-dfeau  at  Ver- 
sailles was  not  equal  for  the  time  it  lasted ;  and  the  head, 


when  it  fell  on  the  scaffold  floor,  gave  such  a  bounce  as 
made  me  start,  although  I  was  at  least  half  an  English 
mile  distant. 

The  queen,  who  often  used  to  hear  me  talk  of  my  sea 
voyages,  and  took  all  occasions  to  divert  me  when  I  was 
melancholy,  asked  me  whether  I  understood  how  to 
handle  a  sail  or  an  oar,  and  whether  a  little  exercise  of 


A   VOYAGE   TO   BliOBDINGNAG  151 

rowing  might  not  be  good  for  my  health?  I  answered 
that  I  understood  both  very  well :  for  although  my 
proper  employment  had  been  to  be  surgeon  or  doctor 
to  the  ship,  yet  often  upon  a  pinch,  I  was  forced  to  work 
like  a  common  mariner.  But  I  could  not  see  how  this 
could  be  done  in  their  country,  where  the  smallest 
wherry  was  equal  to  a  first-rate  man-of-war  among  us ; 
and  such  a  boat  as  I  could  manage  would  never  live  in 
any  of  their  rivers.  Her  majesty  said,  if  I  would  con- 
trive a  boat,  her  own  joiner  should  make  it,  and  she 
would  provide  a  place  for  me  to  sail  in.  The  fellow 
was  an  ingenious  workman,  and  by  my  instructions,  in 
ten  days  finished  a  pleasure-boat,  with  all  its  tackling, 
able  conveniently  to  hold  eight  Europeans.  When  it 
was  finished,  the  queen  was  so  delighted  that  she  ran 
with  it  in  her  lap  to  the  king,  who  ordered  it  to  be  put 
into  a  cistern  full  of  water,  with  me  in  it,  by  way  of 
trial,  where  I  could  not  manage  my  two  sculls,  or  little 
oars,  for  want  of  room.  But  the  queen  had  before  con- 
trived another  project.  She  ordered  the  joiner  to  make 
a  wooden  trough  of  three  hundred  feet  long,  fifty  broad, 
and  eight  deep ;  which,  being  well  pitched',  to  prevent 
leaking,  was  placed  on  the  floor,  along  the  wall,  in  an 
outer  room  of  the  palace.  It  had  a  cock  near  the  bot- 
tom to  let  out  the  water,  when  it  began  to  grow  stale ; 
and  two  servants  could  easily  fill  it  in  half  an  hour. 
Here  I  often  used  to  row  for  my  own  diversion,  as  well 
as  that  of  the  queen  and  her  ladies,  who  thought  them- 
selves well  entertained  with  my  skill  and  agility. 
Sometimes  I  would  put  up  my  sail,  and  then  my  busi- 


152 


GULLIVER  S   TRAVELS 


ness  was  only  to  steer,  while  the  ladies  gave  me  a  gale 
with  their  fans ;  and,  when  they  were  weary,  some  of 
their  pages  would   blow  my  sail  forward  with  their 


breath,  while  I  showed  my  art  by  steering  starboard  or 
larboard  as  I  pleased.  When  I  had  done,  Glumdalclitch 
always  carried  back  my  boat  into  her  closet,  and  hung  it 
on  a  nail  to  dry. 


A   VOYAGE  TO   BEOBDINGNAG  153 

In  this  exercise  I  once  met  an  accident,  which  had 
like  to  have  cost  me  my  life  ;  for,  one  of  the  pages  hav- 
ing put  my  boat  into  the  trough,  the  governess  who  at- 
tended Glumdalclitch  very  officiously  lifted  me  up,  to 
place  me  in  the  boat ;  but  I  happened  to  slip  through 
her  fingers,  and  should  have  fallen  down  forty  feet, 
upon  the  floor,  if,  by  the  luckiest  chance  in  the  world, 
I  had  not  been  stopped  by  a  corking-pin  that  stuck  in 
the  good  gentlewoman's  stomacher ;  the  head  of  the  pin 
passed  between  my  shirt  and  the  waistband  of  my 
breeches,  and  thus  I  was  held  by  the  middle  in  the  air 
till  Glumdalclitch  ran  to  my  relief. 

Another  time,  one  of  the  servants,  whose  office  it  was 
to  fill  my  trough  every  third  day  with  fresh  water,  was 
so  careless  as  to  let  a  huge  frog  slip  out  of  his  pail. 
The  frog  lay  concealed  till  I  was  put  into  my  boat,  but 
then,  seeing  a  resting-place,  climbed  up,  and  made  it 
lean  so  much  on  one  side  that  I  was  forced  to  balance 
it  with  all  my  weight  on  the  other,  to  prevent  overturn- 
ing. When  the  frog  was  got  in  it  hopped  at  once  half 
the  length  of  the  boat ;  and  then  over  my  head,  back- 
wards and  forwards,  daubing  my  face  and  clothes  with 
its  odious  slime.  The  largeness  of  its  features  made  it 
appear  the  most  deformed  animal  that  can  be  conceived. 
I  banged  it  a  good  while  with  one  of  my  sculls,  and 
forced  it  to  leap  out  of  the  boat. 

But  the  greatest  danger  I  ever  underwent  in  that 
kingdom  was  from  a  monkey,  who  belonged  to  one  of 
the  clerks  of  the  kitchen.  Glumdalclitch  had  locked 
me  up  in  her  closet,  while  she  went  somewhere  upon 


154 


GULLIVER  S   TRAVELS 


business  or  a  visit.  The  weather  being  very  warm,  the 
closet  window  was  left  open,  as  well  as  the  windows 
•and  the  door  of  my  bigger  box,  in  which  I  usually  lived, 
because   of   its  largeness  and  conveniency.     As  I  sat 


<"/< 


quietly  meditating  at  my  table,  I  heard  something 
bounce  in  at  the  closet  window,  and  skip  about  from 
one  side  to  the  other  :  whereat,  I  ventured  to  look  out, 


A   VOYAGE   TO   BI1013DINGNAG  155 

but  not  stirring  from  my  seat ;  and  then  I  saw  this 
frolicsome  animal  frisking  and  leaping  up  and  down, 
till  at  last  he  came  to  my  box,  which  he  seemed  to  view 
with  great  pleasure  and  curiosity,  peeping  in  at  the 
door  and  every  window.  I  retreated  to  the  farther 
corner  of  my  room  or  box  ;  but  the  monkey,  looking  in 
at  every  side,  put  me  into  such  a  fright,  that  I  wanted 
presence  of  mind  to  conceal  myself  under  the  bed,  as  I 
might  easily  have  done.  After  some  time  spent  in 
peeping,  grinning,  and  chattering,  he  at  last  espied  me  ; 
and  reaching  one  of  his  paws  in  at  the  door,  caught  hold 
of  the  skirt  of  my  coat  (which  being  made  of  that 
country  cloth,  was  very  thick  and  strong),  and  dragged 
me  out.  He  took  me  up  in  his  right  forefoot,  and  held 
me  as  a  nurse  does  a  child  she  is  going  to  suckle,  just 
as  I  have  seen  the  same  sort  of  a  creature  do  with  a 
kitten  in  Europe  ;  and  when  I  offered  to  struggle,  he 
squeezed  me  so  hard,  that  I  thought  it  more  prudent  to 
submit.  He  was  interrupted  by  a  noise  at  the  closet 
door,  whereupon  he  suddenly  leaped  up  to  the  window 
at  which  he  had  come  in,  and  thence  upon  the  leads  and 
gutters,  walking  upon  three  legs,  and  holding  me  in  the 
fourth,  till  he  clambered  up  to  a  roof  that  was  next  to 
ours.  I  heard  Glumclalclitch  give  a  shriek  at  the  mo- 
ment he  was  carrying  me  out.  The  poor  girl  was  al- 
most distracted  ;  that  quarter  of  the  palace  was  all  in  an 
uproar ;  the  servants  ran  for  ladders ;  the  monkey  was 
plainly  seen  by  hundreds  in  the  court  sitting  upon  the 
ridge  of  a  building  holding  me  like  a  baby  in  one  of  his 
forepaws,  and  feeding  me  with  the  other,  by  cramming 


156  Gulliver's  travels 

into  my  mouth  some  victuals  he  had  squeezed  out  of 
th°  bag  on  one  side  of  his  cheek-pouches  and  patting 
me  when  I  would  not  eat ;  whereat  many  of  the  rabble 
below  could  not  help  laughing.  Some  of  the  people 
threw  up  stones,  hoping  to  drive  the  monkey  down ;  but 
this  was  strictly  forbidden,  or  else,  very  probably,  my 
brains  had  been  dashed  out. 

The  ladders  were  now  applied,  and  mounted  by  sev- 
eral men,  which  the  monkey  observing,  and  finding 
himself  almost  encompassed,  not  being  able  to  make 
speed  enough  with  his  three  legs,  let  me  drop  on  a 
ridge  tile,  and  made  his  escape.  Here  I  sat  for  some 
time,  three  hundred  yards  from  the  ground,  expecting 
every  moment  to  be  blown  down  by  the  wind,  or  to  fall 
by  my  own  giddiness,  and  come  tumbling  over  and  over 
from  the  ridge  to  the  eaves :  but  an  honest  lad,  one  of 
my  nurse's  footmen,  climbed  up,  and,  putting  me  in  his 
breeches-pocket,  brought  me  down  safe. 

I  was  so  weak  and  bruised  in  the  sides  with  the  squeezes 
given  me  by  this  odious  animal,  that  I  was  forced  to 
keep  my  bed  a  fortnight.  The  king,  queen,  and  all  the 
court,  sent  every  day  to  inquire  after  my  health ;  and 
her  majesty  made  me  several  visits  during  my  sickness. 
The  monkey  was  killed,  and  an  order  made  that  no  such 
animal  should  be  kept  about  the  palace. 

When  I  attended  the  king  after  my  recovery,  to  re- 
turn him  thanks  for  his  favors,  he  was  pleased  to  rally 
me  a  good  deal  upon  this  adventure.  He  asked  me 
what  my  thoughts  and  speculations  were,  while  I  lay  in 
the  monkey's  paw ;  how  I  liked  the  victuals  he  gave  me ; 


A  VOYAGE  TO  BROBDINGNAG  157 

his  manner  of  feeding ;  and  whether  the  fresh  air  on  the 
roof  had  sharpened  my  stomach  ?  He  desired  to  know 
what  I  would  have  done  upon  such  an  occasion  in  my 
own  country.  I  told  his  majesty  that  in  Europe  we  had 
no  monkeys,  except  such  as  were  brought  for  curiosities 
from  other  places,  and  so  small,  that  I  could  deal  with  a 
dozen  of  them  together,  if  they  presumed  to  attack  me. 
And  as  for  that  monstrous  animal,  with  whom  I  was  so 
lately  engaged  (it  was  indeed  as  large  as  an  elephant),  if 
my  fears  had  suffered  me  to  think  so  far  as  to  make  use 
of  my  sword,  when  he  poked  his  paw  into  my  chamber, 
perhaps  I  should  have  given  him  such  a  wound  as  would 
have  made  him  glad  to  withdraw  it  with  more  haste 
than  he  put  it  in.  This  I  delivered  in  a  firm  tone,  like 
a  person  who  was  jealous  lest  his  courage  should  be 
called  in  question.  My  speech  produced  a  loud  laughter, 
which  all  the  respect  due  to  his  majesty  from  those  about 
him  could  not  make  them  contain. 

This  made  me  reflect  how  vain  an  attempt  it  is,  for  a 
man  to  endeavor  doing  himself  honor  among  those  who 
are  out  of  all  degree  of  equality  or  comparison  with  him. 
And  yet  I  have  seen  the  moral  of  my  own  behavior  very 
frequent  in  England  since  my  return,  where  a  little 
contemptible  varlet,  without  the  least  title  to  birth,  per- 
son, wit,  or  common  sense,  shall  presume  to  look  with 
importance  and  put  himself  upon  a  foot  with  the  great- 
est persons  of  the  kingdom. 


CHAPTER  VI 

Several  Contrivances  of  the  Author  to  please  the  King  and  Queen  — ■ 
He  shows  his  Skill  in  Music  —  The  King  inquires  into  the  State  of 
England,  which  the  Author  relates  to  him  —  The  King's  Observa- 
tions thereon. 

I  used  to  attend  the  king's  levee  once  or  twice  a 
week,  and  had  often  seen  him  under  the  barber's  hand, 
which,  indeed,  was  at  first  very  terrible  to  behold  ;  for 
the  razor  was  almost  twice  as  long  as  an  ordinary 
scythe.  His  majesty,  according  to  the  custom  of  the 
country,  was  only  shaved  twice  a  week.  I  once  prevailed 
on  the  barber  to  give  me  some  of  the  suds  or  lather,  out 
of  which  I  picked  forty  or  fifty  of  the  strongest  stumps 
of  hair.  I  then  took  a  piece  of  fine  wood,  and  cut  it 
like  the  back  of  a  comb,  making  several  holes  in  it  at 
equal  distance  with  as  small  a  needle  as  I  could  get  from 
Glumdalclitch.  I  fixed  in  the'  stumps  so  artificially, 
scraping  and  sloping  them  with  my  knife  towards  the 
points,  that  I  made  a  very  tolerable  comb ;  which  was  a 
seasonable  supply,  my  own  being  so  much  broken  in  the 
teeth  that  it  was  almost  useless. 

And  this  puts  me  in  mind  of  an  amusement,  wherein 
I  spent  many  of  my  leisure  hours.  I  desired  the  queen's 
woman  to  save  for  me  the  combings  of  her  majesty's 
hair,  whereof  in  time  I  got  a  good  quantity ;  and  con- 
sulting with  my  friend  the  cabinetmaker,  who  had  re- 
ceived general  orders  to  do  little  jobs  for  me,  I  directed 

158 


160  gullivbr's  travels 

him  to  make  two  chair-frames,  no  larger  than  those  I 
had  in  my  box,  and  then  to  bore  little  holes  with  a  fine 
awl  round  those  parts  where  I  designed  the  backs  and 
seats :  through  these  holes  I  wove  the  strongest  hairs  I 
could  pick  out,  just  after  the  manner  of  cane  chairs  in 
England.  When  they  were  finished,  I  made  a  present 
of  them  to  her  majesty,  who  kept  them  in  her  cabinet, 
and  used  to  show  them  for  curiosities,  as  indeed  they 
were  the  wonder  of  everyone  that  beheld  them.  The 
queen  would  have  had  me  sit  upon  one  of  these  chairs, 
but  I  absolutely  refused  to  obey  her.  Of  these  hairs  I 
likewise  made  a  neat  little  purse,  about  five  feet  long, 
with  her  majesty's  name  deciphered  in  gold  letters, 
which  I  gave  to  Glumdalclitch  by  the  queen's  consent. 
To  say  the  truth,  it  was  more  for  show  than  use,  being 
not  of  strength  to  bear  the  weight  of  the  larger  coins, 
and  therefore  she  kept  nothing  in  it  but  some  little  toys 
that  girls  are  fond  of. 

The  king,  who  delighted  in  music,  had  frequent  con- 
certs at  court,  to  which  I  was  sometimes  carried,  and  set 
in  my  box  on  a  table  to  hear  them :  but  the  noise  was 
so  great  that  I  could  hardly  distinguish  the  tunes.  I 
am  confident  that  all  the  drums  and  trumpets  of  a  royal 
army,  beating  and  sounding  together  just  at  your  ears, 
could  not  equal  it.  My  practice  was  to  have  my  box 
removed  from  the  places  where  the  performers  sat  as  far 
as  I  could,  then  to  shut  the  doors  and  windows  of  it,  and 
draw  the  window-curtains;  after  which  I  found  their 
music  not  disagreeable. 

I  had  learned  in  my  youth  to  play  a  little  upon  the 


A  VOYAGE  TO  BKOBDINGNAG  161 

spinet,  a  kind  of  early  form  of  the  piano.  Glumdalclitch 
kept  one  in  her  chamber,  and  a  master  attended  twice  a 
week  to  teach  her :  I  call  it  a  spinet,  because  it  some- 
what resembled  that  instrument,  and  was  played  upon 
in  the  same  manner.  A  fancy  came  into  my  head  that 
I  would  entertain  the  king  and  queen  with  an  English 
tune  upon  this  instrument.  But  this  appeared  extremely 
difficult :  for  the  spinet  was  nearly  sixty  feet  long,  each 
key  being  almost  a  foot  wide,  so  that  with  my  arms  ex- 
tended I  could  not  reach  to  above  five  keys,  and  to  press 
them  down  required  a  good  smart  stroke  with  my  fist, 
which  would  be  too  great  a  labor,  and  to  no  purpose. 
The  method  I  contrived  was  this  :  I  prepared  two  round 
sticks  about  the  bigness  of  common  cudgels  ;  they  were 
thicker  at  one  end  than  the  other,  and  I  covered  the 
thicker  ends  with  a  piece  of  a  mouse's  skin,  that  by  rap- 
ping on  them  I  might  neither  damage  the  tops  of  the 
keys,  nor  interrupt  the  sound.  Before  the  spinet  a  bench 
was  placed,  about  four  feet  below  the  keys,  and  I  was 
put  upon  the  bench.  I  ran  sidelong  upon  it,  that  way 
and  this,  as  fast  as  I  could,  banging  the  proper  keys  with 
my  two  sticks,  and  made  a  shift  to  play  a  jig,  to  the  great 
satisfaction  of  both  their  majesties ;  but  it  was  the  most 
violent  exercise  I  ever  underwent ;  and  yet  I  could  not 
strike  above  sixteen  keys,  nor  consequently  play  the  bass 
and  treble  together,  as  other  artists  do ;  which  was  a 
great  disadvantage  to  my  performance. 

The  king,  who,  as  I  before  observed,  was  a  prince  of 
excellent  understanding,  would  frequently  order  that  I 
should  be  brought  in  my  box,  and  set  upon  the  table  in 


162  Gulliver's  travels 

his  closet :  lie  would  then  command  me  to  bring  one  of 
my  chairs  out  of  the  box,  and  sit  down  within  three 
yards'  distance  upon  the  top  of  the  cabinet,  which 
brought  me  almost  to  a  level  with  his  face.  In  this 
manner  I  had  several  conversations  with  him.  I  one 
day  took  the  freedom  to  tell  his  majesty,  that  the  con- 
tempt he  showed  towards  Europe,  and  the  rest  of  the 
world,  did  not  seem  answerable  to  those  excellent  quali- 
ties of  mind  that  he  was  master  of ;  that  reason  did  not 
extend  itself  with  the  bulk  of  the  body  :  on  the  contrary, 
we  observed  in  our  country,  that  the  tallest  persons  were 
usually  least  provided  with  it ;  that  among  other  ani- 
mals, bees  and  ants  had  the  reputation  of  more  industry, 
art,  and  sagacity,  than  many  of  the  larger  kinds ;  and 
that,  as  inconsiderable  as  he  took  me  to  be,  I  hoped  I 
might  live  to  do  his  majesty  some  signal  service.  The 
king  heard  me  with  attention,  and  began  to  conceive  a 
much  better  opinion  of  me  than  he  had  ever  before.  He 
desired  I  would  give  him  as  exact  an  account  of  the  gov- 
ernment of  England  as  I  possibly  could ;  because,  as  fond 
as  princes  commonly  are  of  their  own  customs,  he  should 
be  glad  to  hear  of  anything  that  might  deserve  imitation. 

Imagine,  courteous  reader,  how  often  I  then  wished 
for  the  tongue  of  Demosthenes  or  Cicero,  that  might 
have  enabled  me  to  celebrate  the  praise  of  my  own  dear 
native  country  in  a  style  equal  to  its  merits  and  felicity. 

I  began  my  discourse  by  informing  his  majesty,  that 
our  dominions  consisted  of  two  islands  which  composed 
three  mighty  kingdoms,  under  one  sovereign,  besides  our 
colonies  in  America.     I  dwelt  long  upon  the  fertility  of 


A  VOYAGE   TO   BUOBDINGNAG  163 

our  soil,  and  the  temperature  of  our  climate.  I  then 
spoke  at  large  upon  the  constitution  of  an  English  par- 
liament :  partly  made  up  of  an  illustrious  body,  called 
the  House  of  Peers ;  persons  of  the  noblest  blood,  and 
of  the  most  ancient  and  ample  patrimonies.  I  described 
that  extraordinary  care  always  taken  of  their  education 
in  arts  and  arms,  to  qualify  them  for  being  counsellors 
both  to  the  king  and  kingdom ;  to  have  a  share  in  the 
legislature  ;  to  be  members  of  the  highest  court  of  judi- 
cature, from  whence  there  can  be  no  appeal ;  and.  to  be 
champions  always  ready  for  the  defense  of  their  prince 
and  country,  by  their  valor,  conduct,  and  fidelity.1  That 
these  were  the  ornament  and  bulwark  of  the  kingdom, 
worthy  followers  of  their  most  renowned  ancestors, 
whose  honor  had  been  the  reward  of  their  virtue,  from 
which  their  posterity  were  never  once  known  to  degen- 
erate. To  these  were  joined  several  holy  persons,  as 
part  of  that  assembly,  under  the  title  of  bishops,  whose 
peculiar  business  it  is  to  take  care  of  religion,  and  of 
those  who  instruct  the  people  therein.  These  were 
searched  and  sought  out  through  the  whole  nation,  by 
the  prince  and  his  wisest  counsellors,  among  such  of 
the  priesthood  as  were  most  deservedly  distinguished 
by  the  sanctity  of  their  lives  and  the  depth  of  their  eru- 
dition ;  who  were  indeed  the  spiritual  fathers  of  the 
clergy  and  the  people. 

That  the  other  part  of  the  parliament  consisted  of  an 
assembly  called  the  House  of  Commons,  who  were  all 

1  This  and  most  of  Gulliver's  account  of  the  British  institutions  is 
of  course  meant  by  Swift  ^o  be  understood  ironically. 


164  gulliver's  travels 

principal  gentlemen,  freely  picked  and  culled  out  by  the 
people  themselves,  for  their  great  abilities  and  love  of 
their  country,  to  represent  the  wisdom  of  the  whole 
nation.  And  that  these  two  bodies  made  up  the  most 
august  assembly  in  Europe ;  to  whom,  in  conjunction 
with  the  prince,  the  whole  legislature  is  committed. 

I  then  descended  to  the  courts  of  justice  ;  over  which 
the  judges,  those  venerable  sages  and  interpreters  of  the 
law,  presided,  for  determining  the  disputed  rights  and 
properties  of  men,  as  well  as  for  the  punishment  of  vice 
and  protection  of  innocence.  I  mentioned  the  prudent 
management  of  our  treasury  ;  the  valor  and  achieve- 
ments of  our  forces,  by  sea  and  land.  I  computed  the 
number  of  our  people  by  reckoning  how  many  millions 
there  might  be  of  each  religious  sect,  or  political  party 
among  us.  I  did  not  omit  even  our  sports  and  pastimes, 
or  any  other  particular  which  I  thought  might  redound 
to  the  honor  of  my  country.  And  I  finished  all  with  a 
brief  historical  account  of  affairs  and  events  in  England 
for  about  a  hundred  years  past. 

When  I  had  put  an  end  to  these  long  discourses,  his 
majesty,  consulting  his  notes,  proposed  many  doubts, 
queries,  and  objections  upon  every  article.  He  asked 
what  methods  were  used  to  cultivate  the  minds  and 
bodies  of  our  young  nobility,  and  in  what  kind  of 
business  they  commonly  spent  the  first  and  teachable 
part  of  their  lives  ?  What  course  was  taken  to  supply 
that  assembly,  when  any  noble  family  became  extinct? 
What  qualifications  were  necessary  in  those  who  are  to 
be  created  new  lords ;  whether  the  humor  of  the  prince, 


A  VOYAGE  TO   BROBDINGNAG  165 

a  sum  of  money  to  a  court  lady  or  a  prime  minister,  or  a 
design  of  strengthening  a  party  opposite  to  the  public 
interest,  ever  happened  to  be  motives  in  those  advance- 
ments ?  What  share  of  knowledge  these  lords  had  in 
the  laws  of  their  country,  and  how  they  came  by  it, 
so  as  to  enable  them  to  decide  the  properties  of  their 
fellow-subjects  in  the  last  resort  ?  Whether  they  were 
always  so  free  from  avarice,  partialities,  or  want,  that  a 
bribe,  or  some  other  sinister  view,  could  have  no  place 
among  them?  Whether  these  holy  lords  I  spoke  of 
were  always  promoted  to  that  rank  upon  account  of 
their  knowledge  of  religious  matters,  and  the  sanctity 
of  their  lives  ;  had  never  been  compilers  with  the  times, 
while  they  were  common  priests  ;  or  slavish  prostitute 
chaplains  to  some  nobleman,  whose  opinions  they  con- 
tinued servilely  to  follow,  after  they  were  admitted  into 
that  assembly  ? 

He  then  desired  to  know  what  arts  were  practiced 
in  electing  those  whom  I  called  commoners  ;  whether 
a  stranger,  with  a  strong  purse,  might  not  influence 
the  vulgar  voters  to  choose  him  before  their  own  land- 
lord, or  the  most  considerable  gentleman  in  the  neigh- 
borhood? How  it  came  to  pass  that  people  were  so 
violently  bent  upon  getting  into  this  assembly,  with- 
out any  salary  or  pension  ;  because  this  appeared  such 
an  exalted  strain  of  virtue  and  public  spirit,  that  his 
majesty  seemed  to  doubt  it  might  possibly  not  be 
always  sincere.  And  he  desired  to  know  whether  such 
zealous  gentlemen  could  have  any  views  of  refunding 
themselves  for  the  charges  and  trouble  they  were  at,  by 


166  gullivbr's  travels 

sacrificing  the  public  good  to  the  designs  of  a  weak  and 
vicious  prince,  in  conjunction  with  a  corrupted  ministry. 
He  multiplied  his  questions,  and  sifted  me  thoroughly 
upon  every  part  of  this  head,  proposing  numberless  in- 
quiries and  objections. 

Upon  what  I  said  in  relation  to  our  courts  of  justice, 
his  majesty  desired  to  be  satisfied  in  several  points  : 
and  this  I  was  the  better  able  to  do,  having  been  for- 
merly almost  ruined  by  a  long  suit  in  the  Chancery, 
which  was  decreed  for  me,  with  costs.  He  asked  what 
time  was  usually  spent  in  determining  between  right 
and  wrong,  and  what  degree  of  expense?  Whether 
advocates  had  liberty  to  plead  in  causes  manifestly 
known  to  be  unjust,  vexatious,  or  oppressive  ?  Whether 
party,  in  religion  or  politics,  were  observed  to  be  of  any 
weight  in  scale  of  justice  ?  Whether  those  pleaders 
were  the  persons  educated  in  the  general  knowledge  of 
equity,  or  only  in  provincial,  national,  and  other  local 
customs  ?  Whether  they  or  their  judges  had  any  part 
in  penning  those  laws,  which  they  assumed  the  liberty 
of  interpreting  at  their  pleasure  ?  Whether  they  had 
ever,  at  different  times,  pleaded  for  and  against  the 
same  cause,  and  cited  precedents  to  prove  contrary 
opinions  ?  Whether  they  were  a  rich  or  a  poor  corpo- 
ration ?  Whether  they  received  any  pecuniary  reward 
for  pleading  or  delivering  their  opinions  ?  And  par- 
ticularly, whether  they  were  ever  admitted  as  members 
in  the  lower  senate  ? 

He  fell  next  upon  the  management  of  our  treasury  ; 
and  said  he  thought  my  memory  had  failed  me,  because 


A  VOYAGE  TO  BROBDINGNAG  167 

I  computed  our  taxes  at  about  five  or  six  millions  a 
year,  and  when  I  came  to  mention  the  Payments  and 
acknowledgments  of  indebtedness,  he  found  they  some- 
times amounted  to  more  than  double  ;  for  the  notes  he 
had  taken  were  very  particular  in  this  point,  because  he 
hoped,  as  he  told  me,  that  the  knowledge  of  our  con- 
duct might  be  useful  to  him,  and  he  could  not  be 
deceived  in  his  calculations.  But,  if  what  I  told  him 
were  true,  he  was  still  at  a  loss  how  a  kingdom  could 
run  out  of  its  estate,  like  a  private  person.  He  asked 
me  who  were  our  creditors,  and  where  we  found  money 
to  pay  them  ?  He  wondered  to  hear  me  talk  of  such 
chargeable  and  expensive  wars.  That  certainly  we 
must  be  a  quarrelsome  people,  or  live  among  very  bad 
neighbors,  and  that  our  generals  must  needs  be  richer 
than  our  kings.  He  asked  what  business  we  had  out 
of  our  own  islands,  unless  upon  the  score  of  trade,  or 
treaty,  or  to  defend  the  coast  with  our  fleet  ?  Above  all, 
he  was  amazed  to  hear  me  talk  of  a  mercenary  standing 
army  in  the  midst  of  peace  and  among  a  free  people. 
He  said  if  we  were  governed  by  our  own  consent,  in 
the  persons  of  our  representatives,  he  could  not  imagine 
of  whom  we  were  afraid,  or  against  whom  we  were  to 
fight ;  and  would  hear  my  opinion,  whether  a  private 
man's  house  might  not  better  be  defended  by  himself, 
his  children  and  family,  than  by  half  a  dozen  rascals, 
picked  up  at  a  venture  in  the  streets  for  small  wages, 
who  might  get  an  hundred  times  more  by  cutting  their 
throats. 

He  laughed  at  my  odd  kind  of  .arithmetic,  as  he  was 


168  gulliver's  travels 

pleased  to  call  it,  in  reckoning  the  numbers  of  our  people, 
by  a  computation  drawn  from  the  several  sects  among 
us  in  religion  and  politics.  He  said  he  knew  no  reason 
why  those  who  entertain  opinions  prejudicial  to  the 
public  should  be  obliged  to  change,  or  should  not  be 
obliged  to  conceal  them.  And,  as  it  was  tyranny  in 
any  government  to  require  the  first,  so  it  was  weakness 
not  to  enforce  the  second  ;  for  a  man  may  be  allowed 
to  keep  poisons  in  his  closet,  but  not  to  vend  them 
about  for  cordials. 

He  observed,  that,  among  the  diversions  of  our  no- 
bility and  gentry,  I  had  mentioned  gaming  :  he  desired 
to  know  at  what  age  this  entertainment  was  usually 
taken  up,  and  when  it  was  laid  down  ;  how  much  of 
their  time  it  employed  ;  whether  it  ever  went  so  high 
as  to  affect  their  fortunes ;  whether  mean,  vicious  people, 
by  their  dexterity  in  that  art,  might  not  arrive  at  great 
riches,  and  sometimes  keep  our  very  nobles  in  depend- 
ence, as  well  as  habituate  them  to  vile  companions  ; 
wholly  take  them  from  the  improvement  of  their  minds, 
and  force  them,  by  the  losses  they  have  received,  to 
learn  and  practice  that  infamous  dexterity  upon  others  ? 

He  was  perfectly  astonished  with  the  historical  ac- 
count I  gave  him  of  our  affairs  during  the  last  century  ; 
protesting,  it  was  only  a  heap  of  conspiracies,  rebellions, 
murders,  massacres,  revolutions,  banishments,  the  very 
worst  effects  that  avarice,  faction,  hypocrisy,  p6rfidi- 
ousness,  cruelty,  rage,  madness,  hatred,  envy,  lust, 
malice,  or  ambition  could  produce. 

His  majesty,  in  another  audience,  was  at  the  pains 


170  gulliver's  travels 

to  recapitulate  the  sum  of  all  I  had  spoken  ;  compared 
the  questions  he  made  with  the  answers  I  had  given ; 
then,  taking  me  into  his  hands,  and  stroking  me  gently, 
delivered  himself  in  these  words,  which  I  shall  never 
forget,  nor  the  manner  he  spoke  them  in  :  "  My  little 
friend,  you  have  made  a  most  admirable  panegyric  upon 
your  country  ;  you  have  clearly  proved  that  ignorance, 
idleness,  and  vice  are  the  proper  ingredients  for  qualify- 
ing a  legislator ;  the  laws  are  best  explained,  inter- 
preted, and  applied,  by  those  whose  interests  and  abilities 
lie  in  perverting,  confounding,  and  eluding  them.  I 
observe  among  you  some  lines  of  an  institution,  which, 
in  its  original,  might  have  been  tolerable,  but  these  half 
erased,  and  the  rest  wholly  blurred  and  blotted  by  cor- 
ruptions. It  doth  not  appear,  from  all  you  have  said, 
how  any  one  perfection  is  required,  towards  the  pro- 
curement of  any  one  station  among  you  ;  much  less, 
that  men  are  ennobled  on  account  of  their  virtue  ;  that 
priests  are  advanced  for  their  piety  or  learning ;  sol- 
diers, for  their  conduct  or  valor  ;  judges,  for  their  in- 
tegrity ;  senators,  for  the  love  of  their  country  ;  or 
counsellors,  for  their  wisdom.  As  for  yourself,"  con- 
tinued the  king,  "  who  have  spent  the  greatest  part  of 
your  life  in  traveling,  I  am  well  disposed  to  hope  you 
may  hitherto  have  escaped  many  vices  of  your  country. 
But,  by  what  I  have  gathered  from  your  own  relation,  and 
the  answers  I  have  with  much  pains  extorted  from  you,  I 
cannot  but  conclude  the  bulk  of  your  natives  to  be  the 
most  pernicious  race  of  little  odious  vermin  that  Nature 
ever  suffered  to  crawl  upon  the  surface  of  the  earth." 


CHAPTER  VII 

The  Author's  Love  of  his  Country  —  He  makes  a  Proposal  of  Much  AcU 
vantage  to  the  King,  which  is  rejected  —  The  King's  Great  Igno- 
rance in  Politics  —  The  Learning  of  that  Country  very  Imperfect 
and  Confined  —  Their  Laws,  and  Military  Affairs,  and  Parties  in 
the  State. 

Nothing  but  an  extreme  love  of  truth  could  have 
hindered,  me  from  concealing  this  part  of  my  story.  It 
was  in  vain  to  discover  my  resentments,  which  were 
always  turned  into  ridicule  ;  and  I  was  forced  to  rest 
with  patience,  while  my  noble  and  most  beloved  coun- 
try was  so  injuriously  treated.  I  am  as  heartily  sorry 
as  any  of  my  readers  can  possibly  be  that  such  an  occa- 
sion was  given  :  but  this  prince  happened  to  be  so  cu- 
rious and  inquisitive  upon  every  particular,  that  it  could 
not  consist  either  with  gratitude  or  good  manners,  to 
refuse  giving  him  what  satisfaction  I  was  able.  Yet 
this  much  I  may  be  allowed  to  say  in  my  own  vindica- 
tion, that  I  artfully  eluded  many  of  his  questions,  and 
gave  to  every  point  a  more  favorable  turn,  by  many 
degrees,  than  the  strictness  of  truth  would  allow  ;  for 
I  have  always  borne  that  laudable  partiality  to  my  own 
country,  which  Dionysius  Halicarnassensis,  with  so 
much  justice,  recommends  to  a  historian  :  I  would  hide 
the  frailties  and  deformities  of  my  political  mother,  and 
place  her  virtues  and  beauties  in  the  most  advantageous 

171 


172  gulliver's  travels 

light.  This  was  my  sincere  endeavor,  although  it  un- 
fortunately failed  of  success. 

But  great  allowances  should  be  given  to  a  king,  who 
lives  wholly  secluded  from  the  rest  of  the  world,  and 
must,  therefore,  be  altogether  unacquainted  with  the 
manners  and  customs  that  most  prevail  in  other  nations  : 
the  want  of  which  knowledge  will  ever  produce  many 
prejudices,  and  a  certain  narrowness  of  thinking,  from 
which  we,  and  the  politer  countries  of  Europe,  are  wholly 
exempted;  and  it  would  be  hard,  indeed,  if  so  remote  a 
prince's  notions  of  virtue  and  vice  were  to  be  offered  as 
a  standard  for  all  mankind. 

To  confirm  what  I  have  now  said,  and  further  to  show 
the  miserable  effects  of  a  confined  education,  I  shall  here 
insert  a  passage  that  will  hardly  obtain  belief.  In 
hopes  to  ingratiate  myself  further  into  his  majesty's 
favor,  I  told  him  of  an  invention,  discovered  about  four 
hundred  years  ago,  to  make  a  certain  powder,  into  a 
heap  of  which  the  smallest  spark  of  fire  falling  would 
kindle  the  whole  in  a  moment,  although  it  were  as  big 
as  a  mountain,  and  make  it  all  fly  up  in  the  air  together, 
with  a  noise  and  agitation  greater  than  thunder.  That 
a  proper  quantity  of  this  powder,  rammed  into  an  hol- 
low tube  of  brass  or  iron,  according  to  its  bigness,  would 
drive  a  ball  of  iron  or  lead  with  such  violence  and  speed 
as  nothing  was  able  to  sustain  its  force.  That  the  larg- 
est balls,  thus  discharged,  would  not  only  destroy  whole 
ranks  of  an  army  at  once,  but  batter  the  strongest  walls 
to  the  ground,  sink  clown  ships,  with  a  thousand  men  in 
each,  to  the  bottom  of  the  sea  ;  and,  when  linked  to- 


A  VOYAGE  TO   BROBDINGNAG  173 

gether  by  a  chain,  would  cut  througn  masts  and  rigging, 
divide  hundreds  of  bodies  in  the  middle,  and  lay  all 
waste  before  them.  That  we  often  put  this  powder  into 
large  hollow  balls  of  iron,  and  discharged  them  by  an 
engine  into  some  city  we  were  besieging,  which  would 
rip  up  the  pavements,  tear  the  houses  to  pieces,  burst 
and  throw  splinters  on  every  side,  dashing  out  the  brains 
of  all  who  came  near.  That  I  knew  the  ingredients  very 
well,  and  understood  the  manner  of  compounding  them, 
and  could  direct  his  workmen  how  to  make  those  tubes, 
of  a  size  proportionable  to  all  other  things  in  his  maj- 
esty's kingdom,  and  the  largest  need  not  be  above  an 
hundred  feet  long ;  twenty  or  thirty  of  which  tubes, 
charged  with  the  proper  quantity  of  powder  and  balls, 
would  batter  down  the  walls  of  the  strongest  town  in  his 
dominions  in  a  few  hours,  or  destroy  the  whole  metropo- 
lis, if  ever  it  should  pretend  to  dispute  his  absolute  com- 
mands. This  I  humbly  offered  to  his  majesty,  as  a  small 
tribute  of  acknowledgment,  in  return  of  so  many  marks 
that  I  had  received  of  his  royal  favor  and  protection. 

The  king  was  struck  with  horror  at  the  description  I 
had  given  of  those  terrible  engines,  and  the  proposal  I 
had  made.  He  was  amazed  how  so  impotent  and  grovel- 
ing an  insect  as  I  (these  were  his  expressions)  could  en- 
tertain such  inhuman  ideas,  and  in  so  familiar  a  manner, 
as  to  appear  wholly  unmoved  at  all  the  scenes  of  blood 
and  desolation  which  I  had  painted,  as  the  common 
effects  of  those  destructive  machines  :  whereof,  he  said, 
some  evil  genius,  enemy  to  mankind,  must  have  been  the 
first  contriver.     As  for  himself,  he  protested,  that  al- 


174  gulliver's  travels 

though  few  things  delighted  him  so  much  as  new  dis- 
coveries in  art  or  in  nature,  yet  he  would  rather  lose 
half  his  kingdom  than  be  privy  to  such  a  secret ;  which 


he  commanded  me,  as  I  valued  my  life,  never  to  men- 
tion any  more. 

A  strange  effect  of  narrow  principles  and  short  views ! 
that  a  prince  possessed  of  every  quality  which  procures 
veneration,  love,  and  esteem ;  of  strong  parts,  great  wis- 


A   VOYAGE  TO   BE.OBDINGNAG  175 

dom,  and  profound  learning,  endued  with  admirable 
talents  for  government,  and  almost  adored  by  his  sub- 
jects, should,  from  a  nice,  unnecessary  scruple,  whereof 
in  Europe  we  can  have  no  conception,  let  slip  an  oppor- 
tunity put  into  his  hands,  that  would  have  made  him 
absolute  master  of  the  lives,  the  liberties,  and  the  for- 
tunes of  his  people  !  I  remember  very  well,  in  a  dis- 
course one  day  with  the  king,  when  I  happened  to  say 
there  were  several  thousand  books  among  us  written 
upon  the  art  of  government,  it  gave  him  (directly  con- 
trary to  my  intention)  a  very  mean  opinion  of  our 
understandings.  He  professed  both  to  despise  all  mys- 
tery, refinement,  and  intrigue,  either  in  a  prince  or  a 
minister.  He  could  not  tell  what  I  meant  by  secrets 
of  state,  where  an  enemy,  or  some  rival  nation,  were  not 
in  the  case.  He  confined  the  knowledge  of  governing 
within  very  narrow  bounds,  to  common  sense  and  rea- 
son, to  justice  and  lenity,  to  the  speedy  determination 
of  civil  and  criminal  causes ;  with  some  other  obvious 
topics,  which  are  not  worth  considering.  And,  he  gave 
it  for  his  opinion,  that,  whoever  could  make  two  ears  of 
corn,  or  two  blades  of  grass,  to  grow  upon  a  spot  of 
ground  where  only  one  grew  before,  would  deserve  bet- 
ter of  mankind,  and  do  more  essential  service  to  his 
country,  than  the  whole  raee  of  politicians  put  together. 
The  learning  of  this  people  is  very  defective  ;  con- 
sisting only  in  morality,  history,  poetry,  and  mathe- 
matics, wherein  they  must  be  allowed  to  excel.  But 
the  last  of  these  is  wholly  applied  to  what  may  be  use- 
ful in  life,  to  the  improvement  of  agriculture,  and  all 


176  Gulliver's  travels 

mechanical  arts ;  so  that,  among  us,  it  would  be  little 
esteemed. 

No  law  of  that  country  must  exceed  in  words  the 
number  of  letters  in  their  alphabet,  which  consists  only 
of  two-and-twenty.  But,  indeed,  few  of  them  extend 
even  to  that  length.  They  are  expressed  in  the  most 
plain  and  simple  terms,  wherein  those  people  are  not 
mercurial  enough  to  discover  above  one  interpretation  : 
and  to  write  a  comment  upon  any  law  is  a  capital  crime. 
As  to  the  decision  of  civil  eauses,  or  proceedings  against 
criminals,  their  precedents  are  so  few  that  they  have 
little  reason  to  boast  of  any  extraordinary  skill  in  either. 

They  have  had  the  art  of  printing,  as  well  as  the 
Chinese,  time  out  of  mind  ;  but  their  libraries  are  not 
very  large  ;  for  that  of  ihe  king,  which  is  reckoned  the 
biggest,  does  not  amount  to  above  a  thousand  volumes, 
placed  in  a  gallery  of  twelve  hundred  feet  long,  whence 
I  had  liberty  to  borrow  what  books  I  pleased.  The 
queen's  joiner  had  contrived,  in  one  of  Glumdalclitch's 
rooms,  a  kind  of  wooden  machine,  five-and-twenty  feet 
high,  formed  like  a  standing  ladder  :  the  steps  were 
each  fifty  feet  long  :  it  was,  indeed,  a  movable  pair  of 
stairs,  the  lowest  end  placed  at  ten  feet  distance  from 
the  wall  of  the  chamber.  The  book  I  had  a  mind  to 
read  was  put  up  leaning  against  the  wall :  I  first  mounted 
to  the  upper  step  of  the  ladder,  and  turning  my  face 
towards  the  book,  began  at  the  top  of  the  page,  and  so 
walking  to  the  right  and  left  about  eight  or  ten  paces, 
according  to  the  length  of  the  lines,  till  I  had  gotten  a 
little  below  the  level  of  my  eyes,  and  then  descending 


A  VOYAGE  TO  BBOBDINGNAG  177 

gradually  till  I  came  to  the  bottom  ;  after  which  I 
mounted  again,  and  began  the  other  page  in  the  same 
manner,  and  so  turned  over  the  leaf,  which  I  could  eas- 
ily do  with  both  my  hands,  for  it  was  as  thick  and  stiff 
as  a  pasteboard,  and  in  the  largest  folios  not  above  eigh- 
teen or  twenty  feet  long. 

Their  style  is  clear,  masculine,  and  smooth,  but  not 
florid.  I  have  perused  many  of  their  books,  especially 
those  in  history  and  morality.  Among  the  rest,  I  was 
much  diverted  with  a  little  old  treatise,  which  always 
lay  in  Glumdalclitch's  bedchamber,  and  belonged  to  her 
governess,  a  grave  elderly  gentlewoman,  who  dealt  in 
writings  of  morality  and  devotion.  The  book  treats  of 
the  weakness  of  human  kind,  and  is  in  little  esteem,  ex- 
cept among  the  women  and  the  vulgar.  However,  I 
was  curious  to  see  what  an  author  of  that  country  could 
say  upon  such  a  subject.  This  writer  went  through  all 
the  usual  topics  of  European  moralists,  showing  "  how 
diminutive,  contemptible,  and  helpless  an  animal  was 
man  in  his  own  nature  ;  how  unable  to  defend  himself 
from  inclemencies  of  the  air,  or  the  fury  of  wild 
beasts  ;  how  much  he  was  excelled  by  one  creature  in 
strength,  by  another  in  speed,  by  a  third  in  foresight,  by 
a  fourth  in  industry."  He  added,  "  that  nature  was  de- 
generated in  these  latter  declining  ages  of  the  world, 
and  could  now  produce  only  small  abortive  births,  in 
comparison  of  those  in  ancient  times."  He  said,  "it 
was  very  reasonable  to  think,  not  only  that  the 
species  of  man  were  originally  much  larger,  but  also  that 
there  must  have  been  giants  in  former  ages  ;  which,  as 


178  GULLIVER'S   TRAVELS 

it  is  asserted  by  history  and  tradition,  so  it  hath  been 
confirmed  by  huge  bones  and  skulls,  casually  dug  up  in 
several  parts  of  the  kingdom,  far  exceeding  the  common, 
dwindled  race  of  men  in  our  days."  He  argued,  "  that 
the  very  laws  of  nature  absolutely  required  we  should 
have  been  made,  in  the  beginning,  of  a  size  more  large 
and  robust  ;  not  so  liable  to  destruction  from  every 
little  accident,  of  a  tile  falling  from  a  house,  or  a  stone 
cast  from  the  hand  of  a  boy,  or  of  being  drowned  in  a 
little  brook."  From  this  way  of  reasoning,  the  author 
drew  several  moral  applications,  useful  in  the  conduct 
of  life,  but  needless  here  to  repeat.  For  my  own  part, 
I  could  not  avoid  reflecting  how  universally  this  talent 
was  spread,  of  drawing  lectures  on  morality,  or  indeed 
rather  matter  of  discontent  and  repining,  from  the  quar- 
rels we  raise  with  nature.  And  I  believe,  upon  a  strict 
inquiry,  those  quarrels  might  be  shown  as  ill-grounded 
among  us  as  they  are  among  that  people. 

As  to  their  military  affairs,  they  boast  that  the  king's 
army  consists  of  a  hundred  and  seventy-six  thousand 
foot  and  thirty-two  thousand  horse  :  if  that  may  be 
called  an  army,  which  is  made  up  of  tradesmen  in  the 
several  cities  and  farmers  in  the  country,  whose  com- 
manders are  only  the  nobility  and  gentry,  without  pay 
or  reward.  They  are  indeed  perfect  enough  in  their 
exercises  and  under  very  good  discipline,  wherein  I  saw 
no  great  merit ;  for  how  should  it  be  otherwise  where 
every  farmer  is  under  the  command  of  his  own  landlord 
and  every  citizen  under  that  of  the  principal  men  in  his 
own  city,  chosen  after  the  manner  of  Venice,  by  ballot  ? 


gulliveb's  travels  179 

I  have  often  seen  the  militia  drawn  out  to  exercise  in 
a  great  field  near  the  city,  of  twenty  miles  square.  They 
were  in  all  not  above  twenty-five  thousand  foot  and 
six  thousand  horse  ;  but  it  was  impossible  for  me  to 
compute  their  number,  considering  the  space  of  ground 
they  took  up.  A  cavalier,  mounted  on  a  large  steed, 
might  be  about  ninety  feet  high.  I  have  seen  this 
whole  body  of  horse,  upon  a  word  of  command,  draw 
their  swords  at  once  and  brandish  them  in  the  air. 
Imagination  can  figure  nothing  so  grand,  so  surprising, 
and  so  astonishing  !  it  looked  as  if  ten  thousand  flashes 
of  lightning  were  darting  at  the  same  time  from  every 
quarter  of  the  sky. 

I  was  curious  to  know  how  this  prince,  to  whose  do- 
minions there  is  no  access  from  any  other  country,  came 
to  think  of  armies,  or  to  teach  his  people  the  practice 
of  military  discipline.  But  I  was  soon  informed,  both 
by  conversation  and  reading  their  histories ;  for,  in  the 
course  of  many  ages,  they  have  been  troubled  with  the 
same  disease  to  which  many  other  governments  are  sub- 
ject ;  the  nobility  often  contending  for  power,  the  peo- 
ple for  liberty,  and  the  king  for  absolute  dominion.  All 
which,  however,  happily  tempered  by  the  laws  of  that 
kingdom,  have  been  sometimes  violated  by  each  of  the 
three  parties,  and  have  once  or  more  occasioned  civil 
wars ;  the  last  whereof  was  happily  put  an  end  to  by 
this  prince's  grandfather,  by  a  general  composition ;  and 
the  militia,  then  settled  with  common  consent,  has  been 
ever  since  kept  in  the  strictest  duty. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

The  King  and  Queen  make  a  Progress  to  the  Frontiers  —  The  Author 
attends  them  —  The  Manner  in  which  he  leaves  the  Country  very 
particularly  related  —  He  returns  to  England. 

I  HAD  always  a  strong  impulse  that  I  should  some 
time  recover  my  liberty,  though  it  was  impossible  to 
conjecture  by  what  means,  or  to  form  any  project  with 
the  least  hope  of  succeeding.  The  ship  in  which  I  sailed 
was  the  first  ever  known  to  be  driven  within  sight  of 
that  coast,  and  the  king  had  given  strict  orders  that  if 
at  any  time  another  appeared,  it  should  be  taken  ashore, 
and,  with  all  its  crew  and  passengers,  brought  to  the 
capita?..  I  was  treated  with  much  kindness ;  I  was  the 
favorite  of  a  great  king  and  queen,  and  the  delight  of 
the  whole  court ;  but  it  was  upon  such  a  foot  as  ill  be- 
came the  dignity  of  human  kind.  I  could  never  forget 
those  domestic  pledges  I  had  left  behind  me.  I  wanted 
to  be  among  people  with  whom  I  could  converse  upon 
even  terms,  and  walk  about  the  streets  and  fields  with- 
out fear  of  being  trod  to  death  like  a  frog  or  a  young 
puppy.     But  my  deliverance  came  sooner  than  I  ex- 

180 


Gulliver's  travels  181 

pected,  and  in  a  manner  not  very  common ;  the  whole 
story  and  circumstances  of  which  I  shall  faithfully 
relate. 

I  had  now  been  two  years  in  the  country,  and  about 
the  beginning  of  the  third,  Glumdalclitch  and  I  attended 
the  king  and  queen  in  a  progress  to  the  south  coast 
of  the  kingdom.  I  was  carried,  as  usual,  in  my  travel- 
ing box.  And  I  had  ordered  a  hammock  to  be  fixed, 
by  silken  ropes,  from  the  four  corners  at  the  top,  to  break 
the  jolts  when  a  servant  carried  me  before  him  on  horse- 
back, as  I  sometimes  desired ;  and  would  often  sleep  in 
my  hammock  while  we  were  upon  the  road.  On  the 
roof  of  my  closet,  not  directly  over  the  middle  of  the 
hammock,  I  ordered  the  joiner  to  cut  out  a  hole  of  a 
foot  square,  to  give  me  air  in  hot  weather  as  I  slept ; 
which  hole  I  shut  at  pleasure  with  a  board  that  drew 
backwards  and  forwards  through  a  groove. 

When  we  came  to  our  journey's  end,  the  king  thought 
proper  to  pass  a  few  days  at  a  palace  he  had  near  a  city 
within  eighteen  English  miles  of  the  seaside.  Glum- 
dalclitch and  I  were  much  fatigued:  I  had  gotten  a 
small  cold,  but  the  poor  girl  was  so  ill  as  to  be  confined 
to  her  chamber.  I  longed  to  see  the  ocean,  which  must 
be  the  only  scene  of  my  escape,  if  ever  it  should  happen. 
I  pretended  to  be  worse  than  I  really  was,  and  desired 
leave  to  take  the  fresh  air  of  the  sea,  with  a  page  whom 
I  was  very  fond  of,  and  who  had  sometimes  been  trusted 
with  me.  I  shall  never  forget  with  what  unwillingness 
Glumdalclitch  consented,  nor  the  strict  charge  she  gave 
the  page  to  be  careful  of  me,  bursting  at  the  same  time 


182  A   VOYAGE   TO   BIIOBDINGNAG 

into  a  flood  of  tears,  as  if  she  had  some  foreboding  of 
what  was  to  happen.  The  boy  took  me  out  in  my  box 
towards  the  rocks  on  the  seashore.  I  ordered  him  to 
set  me  down,  and  lifting  up  one  of  my  sashes,  cast  many 
a  wistful  look  towards  the  sea.  I  found  myself  not 
very  well,  and  told  the  page  that  I  had  a  mind  to  take 
a  nap  in  my  hammock,  which  I  hoped  would  do  me 
good.  I  got  in,  and  the  boy  shut  the  window  close 
down,  to  keep  out  the  cold.  I  soon  fell  asleep,  and  all 
I  can  conjecture  is,  that  while  I  slept,  the  page,  thinking 
no  danger  could  happen,  went  among  the  rocks  to  look 
for  birds'  eggs,  having  before  observed  him  from  my 
window  searching  about,  and  picking  up  one  or  two  in 
the  clefts.  Be  that  as  it  will,  I  found  myself  suddenly 
awaked  with  a  violent  pull  upon  the  ring,  which  was 
fastened  at  the  top  of  my  box  for  the  conveniency  of 
carriage.  I  felt  my  box  raised  very  high  in  the  air, 
and  then  borne  forward  with  prodigious  speed.  The 
first  jolt  had  like  to  have  shaken  me  out  of  my  ham- 
mock, but  afterwards  the  motion  was  easy  enough.  I 
called  out  several  times  as  loud  as  I  could  raise  my 
voice,  but  all  to  no  purpose.  I  looked  towards  my  win- 
dows, and  could  see  nothing  but  the  clouds  and  sky. 
I  heard  a  noise  just  over  my  head,  like  the  clapping  of 
wings,  and  then  began  to  perceive  the  woeful  condition 
I  was  in ;  that  some  eagle  had  got  the  ring  of  my  box 
in  his  beak,  with  an  intent  to  let  it  fall  on  a  rock,  like 
a  tortoise  in  a  shell,  and  then  pick  out  my  body,  and  de- 
vour it :  for  the  sagacity  and  smell  of  this  bird  enabled 
him  to  discover  his  quarry  at  a  great  distance,  though 


GULLIVER  S   TRAVELS 


183 


better   concealed    than  I  could  be  within   a  two-inch 
board. 

In  a  little  time,  I  observed  the  noise  and  flutter  of 
wings  to  increase  very  fast,  and  my  box  was  tossed  up 


and  down,  like  a  sign  in  a  windy  day.  I  heard  several 
bangs  or  buffets,  as  I  thought,  given  to  the  eagle  (for 
such,  I  am  certain,  it  must  have  been  that  held  the  ring 


184  A   VOYAGE   TO   BllOBDINGNAG 

of  my  box  in  his  beak),  and  then,  all  on  a  sudden,  felt 
myself  falling  perpendicularly  down  for  above  a  minute, 
but,  with  such  incredible  swiftness  that  I  almost  lost  my 
breath.  My  fall  was  stopped  by  a  terrible  squash,  that 
sounded  louder  to  my  ears  than  the  cataract  of  Niagara; 
after  which  I  was  quite  in  the  dark  for  another  minute, 
and  then  my  box  began  to  rise  so  high,  that  I  could  see 
light  from  the  tops  of  my  windows.  I  now  perceived 
that  I  was  fallen  into  the  sea.  My  box,  by  the  weight 
of  my  body,  the  goods  that  were  in  it,  and  the  broad 
plates  of  iron  fixed  for  strength  at  the  four  corners  of 
the  top  and  bottom,  floated  above  five  feet  deep  in  water. 
I  did  then,  and  do  now,  suppose  that  the  eagle,  which 
flew  away  with  my  box,  was  pursued  by  two  or  three 
others,  and  forced  to  let  me  drop,  while  he  was  defend- 
ing himself  against  the  rest,  who  hoped  to  share  in  the 
prey.  The  plates  of  iron  fastened  at  the  bottom  of  the 
box  (for  those  were  the  strongest)  preserved  the  bal- 
ance while  it  fell,  and  hindered  it  from  being  broken 
on  the  surface  of  the  water.  Every  joint  of  it  was  well 
grooved  ;  and  the  door  did  not  move  on  hinges,  but  up 
and  down  like  a  sash,  which  kept  my  closet  so  tight 
that  very  little  water  came  in.  I  got  with  much  diffi- 
culty out  of  my  hammock,  having  first  ventured  to  draw 
back  the  slip-board  on  the  roof,  already  mentioned,  con- 
trived on  purpose  to  let  in  air,  for  want  of  which  I  found 
myself  almost  stifled. 

How  often  did  I  then  wish  myself  with  my  dear  Glum- 
dalclitch,  from  whom  one  single  hour  had  so  far  divided 
me  !     And  I  may  say  with  truth,  that  I  could  not  help 


GULLIVER  S   TRAVELS  185 

lamenting  my  poor  nurse,  the  grief  she  would  suffer  for 
my  loss,  the  displeasure  of  the  queen,  and  the  ruin  of 
her  fortune.  Perhaps  many  travelers  have  not  been 
under  greater  difficulties  and  distress  than  I  was  at  this 
juncture,  expecting  every  moment  to  see  my  box  dashed 
in  pieces,  or,  at  least,  overset  by  the  first  violent  blast, 
or  a  rising  wave.  A  breach  in  one  single  pane  of  glass 
would  have  been  immediate  death  :  nor  could  any  thing- 
have  preserved  the  windows,  but  the  strong  lattice  wires, 
placed  on  the  outside,  against  accidents  in  traveling.  I 
saw  the  water  ooze  in  at  several  crannies,  although  the 
leaks  were  not  considerable,  and  I  endeavored  to  stop 
them  as  well  as  I  could.  I  was  not  able  to  lift  up  the 
roof  of  my  closet,  which  otherwise  I  certainly  should 
have  done,  and  sat  on  the  top  of  it  ;  where  I  might  at 
least  preserve  myself  some  hours  longer,  than  by  being 
shut  up  (as  I  may  call  it)  in  the  hold.  Or,  if  I  escaped 
these  dangers  for  a  day  or  two,  what  could  I  expect  but 
a  miserable  death  of  cold  and  hunger  ?  I  was  four  hours 
under  these  circumstances,  expecting,  and  indeed  wish- 
ing, every  moment  to  be  my  last. 

I  have  already  told  the  reader  that  there  were  two 
strong  staples  fixed  upon  that  side  of  my  box  which  had 
no  window,  and  into  which  the  servant,  who  used  to 
carry  me  on  horseback,  would  put  a  leathern  belt,  and 
buckle  it  about  his  waist.  Being  in  this  disconsolate 
state,  I  heard,  or  at  least  thought  I  heard,  some  kind  of 
grating  noise  on  that  side  of  my  box  where  the  staples 
were  fixed  ;  and  soon  after  I  began  to  fancy  that  the 
box  was  pulled  or  towed  along  in  the  sea ;  for  I  now 


186  A   VOYAGE   TO  BEOBDINGNAG 

and  then  felt  a  sort  of  tugging,  which  made  the  waves 
rise  near  the  tops  of  my  windows,  leaving  me  almost  in 
the  dark.  This  gave  me  some  faint  hopes  of  relief,  al- 
though I  was  not  able  to  imagine  how  it  could  be  brought 
<ibout;  I  ventured  to  unscrew  one  of  my  chairs,  which 
^ere  always  fastened  to  the  floor  ;  and  having  made  a 
hard  shift  to  screw  it  down  again,  directly  under  the 
slipping-board  that  I  had  lately  opened,  I  mounted  on 
the  chair,  and  putting  my  mouth  as  near  as  I  could  to 
the  hole,  I  called  for  help  in  a  loud  voice,  and  in  all  the 
languages  I  understood.  I  then  fastened  my  handker- 
chief to  a  stick  I  usually  carried,  and,  thrusting  it  up 
the  hole,  waved  it  several  times  in  the  air,  that,  if  any 
boat  or  ship  were  near,  the  seamen  might  conjecture  some 
unhappy  mortal  to  be  shut  up  in  this  box.  I  found  no 
effect  from  all  I  could  do,  but  plainly  perceived  my  closet 
to  be  moved  along  ;  and  in  the  space  of  an  hour,  or 
better,  that  side  of  the  box  where  the  staples  were,  and 
had  no  windows,  struck  against  something  that  was  hard. 
I  apprehended  it  to  be  a  rock,  and  found  myself  tossed 
more  than  ever.  I  plainly  heard  a  noise  upon  the  cover 
of  my  closet  like  that  of  a  cable,  and  the  grating  of 
it  as  it  passed  through  the  ring.  I  then  found  myself 
hoisted  up,  by  degrees,  at  least  three  feet  higher  than  I 
was  before.  Whereupon  I  again  thrust  up  my  stick  and 
handkerchief,  calling  for  help  till  I  was  almost  hoarse. 
In  return  to  which,  I  heard  a  great  shout  repeated  three 
times,  giving  me  such  transports  of  joy  as  are  not  to  be 
conceived  but  by  those  who  feel  them.  I  now  heard  a 
trampling  over  my  head,  and  somebody  calling  through 


Gulliver's  travels  187 

the  hole  with  a  loud  voice,  in  the  English  tongue,  if 
there  be  anybody  below,  let  them  speak.  I  answered, 
I  was  an  Englishman,  drawn,  by  ill  fortune,  into  the 
greatest  calamity  that  ever  any  creature  underwent,  and 
begged,  by  all  that  was  moving,  to  be  delivered  out  of 
the  dungeon  I  was  in.  The  voice  replied,  I  was  safe, 
for  my  box  was  fastened  to  their  ship,  and  the  carpenter 
should  immediately  come  and  saw  a  hole  in  the  cover, 
large  enough  to  pull  me  out.  I  answered,  that  was 
needless,  and  would  take  up  too  much  time  ;  for  there 
was  no  more  to  be  done,  but  let  one  of  the  crew  put  his 
finger  into  the  ring,  and  take  the  box  out  of  the  sea  into 
the  ship,  and  so  into  the  captain's  cabin.  Some  of  them, 
upon  hearing  me  talk  so  wildly,  thought  I  was  mad  ; 
others  laughed  ;  for  indeed  it  never  came  into  my  head 
that  I  was  now  got  among  people  of  my  own  stature  and 
strength.  The  carpenter  came,  and,  in  a  few  minutes, 
sawed  a  passage  about  four  feet  square,  then  let  down 
a  small  ladder,  upon  which  I  mounted,  and  from  thence 
was  taken  into  the  ship  in  a  very  weak  condition. 

The  sailors  were  all  in  amazement,  and  asked  me 
a  thousand  questions,  which  I  had  no  inclination  to 
answer.  I  was  equally  confounded  at  the  sight  of  so 
many  pigmies,  for  such  I  took  them  to  be,  after  having 
so  long  accustomed  my  eyes  to  the  monstrous  objects  I 
had  left.  But  the  captain,  an  honest  worthy  Shrop- 
shireman,  observing  I  was  ready  to  faint,  took  me  into 
his  cabin,  gave  me  a  cordial  to  comfort  me,  and  made 
me  turn  in  upon  his  own  bed,  advising  me  to  take  a 
little  rest,  of  which  I  had  great  need.     Before  I  went 


188  gulliver's  travels 

to  sleep,  I  gave  him  to  understand,  that  I  had  some 
valuable  furniture  in  my  box,  too  good  to  be  lost ;  a 
fin«  hammock  —  a  handsome  field  bed  —  two  chairs  — 
a  table  —  and  a  cabinet.  That  my  closet  was  hung  on 
all  sides,  or  rather  quilted  with  silk  and  cotton  :  that, 
if  he  would  let  one  of  the  crew  bring  my  closet  into  his 
cabin,  I  would  open  it  there  before  him,  and  show  him 
my  goods.  The  captain,  hearing  me  utter  these  absurdi- 
ties, concluded  I  was  raving  ;  however  (I  suppose  to 
pacify  me),  he  promised  to  give  order  as  I  desired,  and 
going  upon  deck,  sent  some  of  his  men  down  into  my 
closet,  from  whence  (as  I  afterwards  found)  they  drew 
up  all  my  goods,  and  stripped  off  the  quilting  ;  but  the 
chairs,  cabinet,  and  bedstead,  being  screwed  to  the  floor, 
were  much  damaged  by  the  ignorance  of  the  seamen, 
who  tore  them  up  by  force.  Then  they  knocked  off 
some  of  the  boards  for  the  use  of  the  ship,  and  when 
they  had  got  all  they  had  a  mind  for,  let  the  hull  drop 
into  the  sea,  which,  by  reason  of  many  breaches  made 
in  the  bottom  and  sides,  sunk  at  once.  And,  indeed,  I 
was  glad  not  to  have  been  a  spectator  of  the  havoc  they 
made,  because  I  am  confident  it  would  have  sensibly 
touched  me,  by  bringing  former  passages  into  my  mind, 
which  I  had  rather  forget. 

I  slept  some  hours,  but  perpetually  disturbed  with 
dreams  of  the  place  I  had  left,  and  the  dangers  I  had 
escaped.  However,  upon  waking,  I  found  myself  much 
recovered.  It  was  now  about  eight  o'clock  at  night,  and 
the  captain  ordered  supper  immediately,  thinking  I  had 
already  fasted  too  long.     He  entertained  me  with  great 


A  VOYAGE  TO  BKOBDINGNAG  189 

kindness,  observing  me  not  to  look  wildly,  or  talk  incon- 
sistently ;  and  when  we  were  left  alone,  desired  I  would 
give  him  a  relation  of  my  travels,  and  by  what  accident 
I  came  to  be  set  adrift  in  that  monstrous  wooden  chest. 
He  said,  that  about  twelve  o'clock  at  noon,  as  he  was 
looking  through  his  glass,  he  spied  it  at  a  distance,  and 
thought  it  was  a  sail,  which  he  had  a  mind  to  make, 
being  not  much  out  of  his  course,  in  hopes  of  buying 
some  biscuit,  his  own  beginning  to  fall  short.  That, 
upon  coming  nearer,  and  finding  his  error,  he  sent  out 
his  long-boat  to  discover  what  it  was  ;  that  his  men  came 
back  in  a  fright,  swearing  they  had  seen  a  swimming 
house.  That  he  laughed  at  their  folly,  and  went  himself 
in  the  boat,  ordering  his  men  to  take  a  strong  cable  along 
with  them.  That  the  weather  being  calm,  he  rowedround 
me  several  times,  observed  my  windows,  and  the  wire 
lattices  that  defended  them.  That  he  discovered  two 
staples  upon  one  side,  which  was  all  of  boards,  without 
any  passage  for  light.  He  then  ordered  his  men  to  row 
up  to  that  side,  and  fastening  another  cable  to  one  of  the 
staples,  ordered  them  to  tow  my  chest,  as  they  called  it, 
towards  the  ship.  When  it  was  there,  he  gave  directions 
to  fasten  another  cable  to  the  ring  fixed  in  the  cover,  and 
to  raise  up  my  chest  with  pulleys,  which  all  the  sailors 
were  not  able  to  do  above  two  or  three  feet.  He  said, 
they  saw  my  stick  and  handkerchief  thrust  out  of  the 
hole,  and  concluded  that  some  unhappy  man  must  be 
shut  up  in  the  cavity.  I  asked,  whether  he  or  the  crew 
had  seen  any  prodigious  birds  in  the  air  about  the  time 
he  first  discovered  me  ?    To  which  he  answered,  that  dis- 


190  Gulliver's  travels 

coursing  this  matter  with  the  sailors  while  I  was  asleep, 
one  of  them  said,  he  had  observed  three  eagles  flying 
towards  the  north,  but  remarked  nothing  of  their  being 
larger  than  the  usual  size;  which,  I  suppose,  must  be 
imputed  to  the  great  height  they  were  at ;  and  he  could 
not  guess  the  reason  of  my  question.  I  then  asked  the 
captain  how  far  he  reckoned  we  might  be  from  land  ? 
He  said  we  were,  at  least,  a  hundred  leagues.  I  assured 
him  that  he  must  be  mistaken  by  almost  half,  for  I  had 
not  left  the  country  from  whence  I  came  above  two  hours 
before  I  dropped  into  the  sea.  Whereupon,  he  began 
again  to  think  that  my  brain  was  disturbed,  of  which  he 
gave  me  a  hint,  and  advised  me  to  go  to  bed  in  a  cabin 
he  had  provided.  I  assured  him  I  was  well  refreshed 
with  his  good  entertainment,  and  as  much  in  my  senses 
as  ever  I  was  in  my  life.  He  then  grew  serious,  and 
desired  to  ask  me  freely,  whether  I  were  not  troubled 
in  mind  by  the  consciousness  of  some  enormous  crime, 
for  which  I  was  punished,  at  the  command  of  some  prince, 
by  exposing  me  in  that  chest ;  as  great  criminals,  in  other 
countries,  have  been  forced  to  sea  in  a  leaky  vessel,  with- 
out provisions :  for  although  he  should  be  sorry  to  have 
taken  so  ill  a  man  into  his  ship,  yet  he  would  engage  his 
word  to  set  me  safe  on  shore  in  the  first  port  where  we 
arrived.  He  added,  that  his  suspicions  were  much  in- 
creased by  some  very  absurd  speeches  I  had  delivered  at 
first  to  the  sailors,  and  afterwards  to  himself,  in  relation 
to  my  closet  or  chest,  as  well  as  by  my  odd  looks  and  be- 
havior while  I  was  at  supper. 

I  begged  his  patience  to  hear  me  tell  my  story,  which 


A   VOYAGE  TO  BROBDINGNAG 


191 


I  faithfully  did,  from  the  last  time  I  left  England,  to  the 
moment  he  first  discovered  me.  And,  as  truth  always 
forces  its  way  into  rational  minds,  so  this  honest  worthy 
gentleman,  who  had  some  tincture  of  learning  and  very 
good  sense,  was  immediately  convinced  of  my  candor 
and  veracity.  But,  further  to  confirm  all  I  had  said,  I 
entreated  him  to  give  order 
that  my  cabinet  should  be 
brought,  of  which  I  had  the 
key  in  my  pocket ;  for  he  had 
already  informed  me  how  the 
seamen  disposed  of  my  closet. 
I  opened  it  in  his  own  pres- 
ence, and  showed  him  the 
small  collection  of  rarities  I 
made  in  the  country  from 
whence  I  had  been  so  strangely 
delivered.  There  was  the 
comb  I  had  contrived  out  of 
the  stumps  of  the  king's 
beard,  and  another  of  the 
same  materials,  but  fixed  into 

a  paring  of  her  majesty's  thumb-nail,  which  served  for 
the  back.  There  was  a  collection  of  needles  and  pins, 
from  a  foot  to  half  a  yard  long  ;  four  wasps'  stings,  like 
joiners' tacks ;  some  combings  of  the  queen's  hair ;  a  gold 
ring,  which  one  day  she  made  me  a  present  of,  in  a  most 
obliging  manner,  taking  it  from  her  little  finger,  and 
throwing  it  over  my  head  like  a  collar.  I  desired  the 
captain  would  please  to  accept  this  ring  in  return  of  his 


192  Gulliver's  travels 

£ 
civilities,  which  he  absolutely  refused.     I  showed  him  a 

corn  that  I  had  cut  off,  with  my  own  hand,  from  a  maid 

of  -honor's  toe ;  it  was  about  the  bigness  of  a  Kentish 

pippin,  and  grown  so  hard,  that,  when  I  returned  to 

England,  I  got  it  hollowed  into  a  cup,  and  set  in  silver. 

Lastly,  I  desired  him  to  see  the  breeches  I  had  then  on, 

which  were  made  of  a  mouse's  skin. 

I  could  force  nothing  on  him  but  a  footman's  tooth, 
which  I  observed  him  to  examine  with  great  curiosity, 
and  found  he  had  a  fancy  for  it.  He  received  it  with 
abundance  of  thanks,  more  than  such  a  trifle  could  de- 
serve. It  was  drawn  by  an  unskillful  surgeon,  in  a  mis- 
take, from  one  of  Glumdalclitch's  men,  who  was  afflicted 
with  the  toothache,  but  it  was  as  sound  as  any  in  his 
head.  I  got  it  cleaned,  and  put  it  into  my  cabinet.  It 
was  about  a  foot  long  and  four  inches  in  diameter. 

The  captain  was  very  well  satisfied  with  this  plain  re- 
lation I  had  given  him,  and  said,  he  hoped,  when  we  re- 
turned to  England,  I  would  oblige  the  world  by  putting 
it  on  paper  and  making  it  public.  My  answer  was,  that 
I  thought  we  were  already  overstocked  with  books  of 
travels :  that  nothing  could  now  pass  which  was  not  ex- 
traordinary ;  that  my  story  could  contain  little  beside 
common  events,  without  those  ornamental  descriptions 
of  strange  plants,  trees,  birds,  and  other  animals ;  or  of 
the  barbarous  customs  and  idolatry  of  savage  people, 
with  which  most  writers  abound.  However,  I  thanked 
him  for  his  good  opinion,  and  promised  to  take  the  matter 
into  my  thoughts. 

He  said  he  wondered  at  one  thing  very  much,  which 


A   VOYAGE  TO  BROBDINGNAG  193 

was,  to  hear  me  speak  so  loud ;  asking  me  whether  the 
king  or  queen  of  that  country  were  thick  of  hearing  ?  I 
told  him  it  was  what  I  had  been  used  to  for  above  two 
years  past,  and  that  I  wondered  as  much  at  the  voices 


of  him  and  his  men,  who  seemed  to  me  only  to  whisper, 
and  yet  I  could  hear  them  well  enough.  But,  when  I 
spoke  in  that  country,  it  was  like  a  man  talking  in  the 
street  to  another  looking  out  from  the  top  of  a  steeple, 
unless  when  I  was  placed  on  a  table,  or  held  in  any  per- 


194  GULLIVER'S   TRAVELS 

son's  hand.  I  told  him  I  had  likewise  observed  another 
thing,  that,  when  I  first  got  into  the  ship,  and  the  sailors 
stood  all  about  me,  I  thought  they  were  the  most  con- 
temptible little  creatures  I  had  ever  beheld.  For  indeed, 
while  I  was  in  that  prince's  country,  I  could  never  endure 
to  look  in  a  glass  after  my  eyes  had  been  accustomed  to 
such  prodigious  objects,  because  the  comparison  gave 
me  so  despicable  a  conceit  of  myself.  The  captain  said, 
that,  while  we  were  at  supper,  he  observed  me  to  look  at 
everything  with  a  sort  of  wonder,  and  that  I  often  seemed 
hardly  able  to  contain  my  laughter,  which  he  imputed  to 
some  disorder  in  my  brain.  I  answered,  it  was  very  true  : 
and  I  wondered  how  I  could  help  it,  when  I  saw  his  dishes 
of  the  size  of  a  silver  threepence,  a  leg  of  pork  hardly  a 
mouthful,  a  cup  not  so  big  as  a  nutshell ;  and  so  I  went 
on,  describing  the  rest  of  his  household-stuff  and  pro- 
visions, after  the  same  manner.  For,  although  the  queen 
had  ordered  a  little  equipage  of  all  things  necessary  for 
me,  while  I  was  in  her  service,  yet  my  ideas  were  wholly 
taken  up  with  what  I  saw  on  every  side  of  me,  and  I 
winked  at  my  own  littleness,  as  people  do  at  their  own 
faults.  The  captain  understood  my  raillery  very  well, 
and  merrily  replied  with  the  old  English  proverb,  that 
he  doubted  my  eyes  were  bigger  than  my  belly,  for  he 
did  not  observe  my  stomach  so  good,  although  I  had 
fasted  all  day ;  and,  continuing  in  his  mirth,  protested, 
he  would  have  gladly  given  a  hundred  pounds  to  have 
seen  my  closet  in  the  eagle's  bill,  and  afterwards  in  its 
fall  from  so  great  a  height  into  the  sea ;  which  would 
certainly  have  been  a  most  astonishing  object,  worthy  to 


A   VOYAGE  TO  BKOBDINGNAG  195 

have  the  description  of  it  transmitted  to  future  ages : 
and  the  comparison  of  Phaeton  was  so  obvious,  that  he 
could  not  forbear  applying  it,  although  I  did  not  much 
admire  the  conceit. 

The  captain  having  been  at  Tonquin,  was,  in  his  re- 
turn to  England,  driven  north-eastward.  But  meeting 
a  trade -wind  two  days  after  I  came  on  board  him,  we 
sailed  southward  a  long  time,  and  coasting  New  Holland, 
kept  our  course  west-southwest,  and  then  south-south- 
west, till  we  doubled  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope.  Our 
voyage  was  very  prosperous,  but  I  shall  not  trouble  the 
reader  with  a  journal  of  it.  The  captain  called  in  at 
one  or  two  ports,  and  sent  in  his  boat  for  provisions  and 
fresh  water;  but  I  never  went  out  of  the  ship  till  we 
came  into  the  Downs,  which  was  on  June  3, 1706,  about 
nine  months  after  my  escape.  I  offered  to  leave  my 
goods  in  security  for  payment  of  my  freight ;  but  the 
captain  would  not  receive  one  farthing.  We  took  kind 
leave  of  each  other,  and  I  made  him  promise  he  would 
come  to  see  me  at  my  house  in  Redriff.  I  hired  a  horse 
and  guide  for  five  shillings,  which  I  borrowed  of  the 
captain. 

As  I  was  on  the  road,  observing  the  littleness  of  the 
houses,  the  trees,  the  cattle,  and  the  people,  I  began  to 
think  myself  in  Lilliput.  I  was  afraid  of  trampling  on 
every  traveler  I  met,  and  often  called  aloud  to  have  them 
stand  out  of  the  way,  so  that  I  had  like  to  have  gotten 
one  or  two  broken  heads  for  my  impertinence. 

When  I  came  to  my  own  house,  for  which  I  was  forced 
to  inquire,  one  of  the  servants  opening  the  door,  I  bent 


196 


Gulliver's  travels 


down  to  go  in  (like  a  goose  under  a  gate),  for  fear  of  strik- 
ing my  head.  My  wife  ran  out  to  embrace  me,  but  I 
stooped  lower  than  her  knees,  thinking  she  could  other- 
wise never  be  able  to  reach  my  mouth.  My  daughter 
kneeled  to  ask  my  blessing,  but  I  could  not  see  her  till 
she  arose,  having  been  so  long  used  to  stand  with  my  head 
and  eyes  erect  to  above  sixty  feet ;  and  then  I  went  to 
take  her  up  with  one  hand  by  the  waist.  I  looked  down 
upon  the  servants,  and  one  or  two  friends  who  were  in 
the  house,  as  if  they  had  been  pigmies  and  I  a  giant.  I 
told  my  wife  she  had  been  too  thrifty,  for  I  found  she 
had  starved  herself  and  her  daughter  to  nothing.  In 
short,  I  behaved  myself  so  unaccountably,  that  they  were 
all  of  the  captain's  opinion  when  he  first  saw  me,  and 
concluded  I  had  lost  my  wits.  This  I  mention  as  an  in- 
stance of  the  great  power  of  habit  and  prejudice. 

In  a  little  time,  I  and  my  family  and  friends  came  to  a 
right  understanding;  but  my  wife  protested  I  should 
never  go  to  sea  any  more. 


•*  • 


